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Ukrainian thyroid doses after the Chernobyl accident
I A Likhtarev1, N K Shandala, G M Gulko
1Ukrainian Scientific Center of Radiation Medicine, Kiev.
Health Physics
|June 1, 1993
Summary
Thyroid radioactivity in Ukraine was estimated after 1986, revealing significant iodine-131 exposure. This exposure may lead to an increased risk of thyroid cancer, particularly in children, necessitating long-term monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Radiation Dosimetry
- Nuclear Medicine
Background:
- The Chernobyl disaster in 1986 resulted in widespread radioactive iodine (131I) contamination.
- Assessing the long-term health consequences, specifically thyroid impacts, is crucial for affected populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate thyroid radioactivity and absorbed doses in the Ukrainian population following 131I exposure.
- To analyze the potential late effects, including thyroid cancer incidence, due to radioiodine exposure.
Main Methods:
- Over 150,000 individual thyroid examinations were conducted by dosimetric teams.
- A dosimetric radioiodine data bank was established for analyzing measurements from contaminated regions.
- Dose assessments were performed using single and duration-of-intake models for radioiodine.
Main Results:
- Individual absorbed doses were assessed for infants and adults exposed to 131I.
- A collective thyro-oncogenic dose of 64,000 person-Gy was estimated.
- A 1.4-fold increase in thyroid cancer morbidity is predicted for children exposed in contaminated regions.
Conclusions:
- The study provides critical data on thyroid irradiation doses and associated cancer risks in Ukraine post-Chernobyl.
- Long-term monitoring is essential to track the predicted increase in thyroid cancer incidence.
- Findings underscore the importance of public health interventions following radiological incidents.