Highlights • First systematic report on non-thyroid cancer incidence post-Chernobyl in Ukraine. • Well-defined cohort exposed at radiosensitive ages. • Cancers ascertained through linkage with ...high-quality Registry. • No significant increase to date in estimated SIRs. • Trends for leukemia warrant continued follow-up.
Described are results and the procedure for a pilot study on sup.237Np content in forest litter samples from Poland in relation to their plutonium activity. Neptunium was determined by inductively ...coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Pu by alpha spectrometry. Two samples originated from a location with pure global fallout and two others from a place with about 65% of the plutonium from Chernobyl. Plutonium activities were determined twice: at Krakow and in Monaco. The two results were consistent and sup.239 + 240Pu activities ranged from about 1 to about 7 Bq/kg dry weight (dw). The chemical recovery for Np was between 27 and 89%. Results for sup.237Np activity concentrations were between 0.099 + or - 0.005 and 2.21 + or - 0.076 mBq/kg dw. Observed activity ratios were lower than expected and could be explained by fractionation of Np against Pu in forest litter. Keywords Np * Pu * Chernobyl * Global fallout * Radiochemistry
Display omitted
•Sedimentological, metallic and organic contaminants analyses in riverbank sediments.•FingerPro unmixed model to assess geochemical fingerprinting.•Storage of legacy sediments along ...the banks since the 1950 s.•Low transport capacity of contaminant bounded particles.•Strong decrease of the contamination gradient 60 km downstream of hotspot.
As within many European rivers in mountainous areas, the Bienne River (Jura Mountains, France) has been severely impacted by the implementation of obstacles to river flow. The aim of this study is to better understand how hydro-sedimentary dysfunctions (complex alterations of sediment transport in response to river engineering) can influence contaminants storage along the river. The sediment pollution trajectory was reconstructed based (1) on a well-dated sediment core, and (2) on several sediment samples taken at different depths on six riverbank profiles. Age control was established with a well-defined 137Cs profile and time-related grain size transitions in the sediment core, and only relatively for riverbank profiles using a plasticizer and PCB contents as chemical markers of the Anthropocene. Riverbanks and the core are composed of fine-grained legacy sediments deposited during the 20th century. They covered the former active channel mostly composed of pebbles and cobbles. Historical contaminants were the highest in the most upstream station and declined in the downstream direction to reach relatively low values in the lower river section. This historical upstream signal poorly influences the geochemical composition of sediments in the lower reaches, due its attenuation by numerous human-made obstacles to river flow and to the limited sediment transport capacity of the river. According to an unmixing model, the contribution of the upper sediments only weights a small percentage of the sedimentary mixture at the river outlet. These results highlight the sedimentary storage capacity of historical contaminants in mountain coarse-bedded river. This phenomenon has been led by a riverbed narrowing and stabilization caused by deep alterations of hydro-sedimentary processes. It finally emphasizes storage of sedimentary contaminants and leads to limited source influences. Hence, this study shows the key role of sedimentary transport, which triggers spatial and temporal variability of contaminants stored in sediments.
Plants are considered one of the toughest organisms in the world because of their ability to survive under the harsh conditions. Chernobyl offers a unique environment to study plant adaptation. Two ...experimental fields were established in the area near Chernobyl to closely study the effect of radioactive contamination on flax. Radioactivity severely impacts plant systems. However, in terms of DNA methylation, chronic radiation stress may manifest differently than acute irradiation. The methylation pattern of the fatty acid desaturase 3A gene was investigated using a combination of two techniques, bisulfite sequencing and methylation-sensitive high resolution melting. Using bisulfite sequencing, the gene-specific DNA methylation patterns between flax seeds cultivated in a remediated and radioactively contaminated environment were identified. Subsequent quantification of DNA methylation revealed partial demethylation in the coding sequence of the target gene. Flax seeds harvested from the Chernobyl area after 6 subsequent years of cultivation showed clear signs of adaptation to the environment.
•DNA methylation patterns were investigated in flax after the chronic irradiation on the experimental fields near Chernobyl.•Fatty acid desaturase 3A gene specific DNA methylation was revealed using the bisulfite sequencing and MS-HRM approaches.
Ricardo San Vicente es un traductor de literatura rusa, ensayista y profesor. En la Universidad de Barcelona impartió literatura rusa antigua, moderna y contemporánea. Ha traducido a numerosos ...escritores rusos, como Tolstoi, Zóschenko, Shalámov, Bulgákov, Chéjov, Brodski, Dovlatov o Bábel. Ricardo San Vicente fue el primer traductor de Voces de Chernóbil de la escritora bielorrusa, Svetlana Aleksiévich galardonada con el Premio Nobel de Literatura en 2015.
ObjectiveTo investigate childhood cardiac arrhythmia and chronic exposure to caesium-137 (137Cs) resulting from the Chernobyl accident.DesignProspective cross-sectional study using exposed/unexposed ...design conducted in the Bryansk region from May 2009 to May 2013 on children selected on the basis of 137Cs soil deposition: control territories (137Cs<37 kBq per square metre, where children were considered as unexposed) and contaminated territories (137Cs>555 kBq per square metre, where children were considered as exposed).SettingRussian territories affected by the Chernobyl fallout (Bryansk region).ParticipantsThis cross-sectional study included 18 152 children aged 2–18 years and living in the Bryansk region (Russia).Main outcome measuresAll children received three medical examinations (ECG, echocardiography and 137Cs whole-body activity measurement) and some of them were given with a 24-hour Holter monitoring and blood tests.ResultsCardiac arrhythmia was diagnosed in 1172 children living in contaminated territories and 1354 children living in control territories. The crude prevalence estimated to 13.3% in contaminated territories was significantly lower than in control territories with 15.2% over the period 2009–2013 (P<0.001). Considering 137Cs whole-body burden as exposure, cardiac arrhythmia was found in 449 contaminated children and 2077 uncontaminated children, corresponding to an estimated crude prevalence of 14.5% and 14.2%, respectively, which does not differ significantly (P=0.74). Also, we investigated the association between territory, exposure to 137Cs and cardiac arrhythmia: the adjusted OR was not significant (0.90 with 95% CI 0.81 to 1.00; P=0.06) for the territory. For 137Cs whole-body burden, the ORs close to 1 did not reach statistical significance (P for trend=0.97).ConclusionThis study does not observe an association between cardiac arrhythmia and 137Cs deposition levels in the Bryansk region exposed to Chernobyl fallout. The suspected increase of cardiac arrhythmia in children exposed to Chernobyl fallout is not confirmed.
The psychological aftermath of the Chernobyl accident is regarded as the largest public health problem unleashed by the accident to date. Yet the mental health of the clean-up workers, who faced the ...greatest radiation exposure and threat to life, has not been systematically evaluated. This study describes the long-term psychological effects of Chernobyl in a sample of clean-up workers in Ukraine.
The cohorts were 295 male clean-up workers sent to Chernobyl between 1986 and 1990 interviewed 18 years after the accident (71% participation rate) and 397 geographically matched controls interviewed as part of the Ukraine World Mental Health (WMS) Survey 16 years after the accident. The World Health Organization (WHO) Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) was administered. We examined group differences in common psychiatric disorders, suicide ideation and severe headaches, differential effects of disorder on days lost from work, and in the clean-up workers, the relationship of exposure severity to disorder and current trauma and somatic symptoms. Analyses were adjusted for age in 1986 and mental health prior to the accident.
Relatively more clean-up workers than controls experienced depression (18.0% v. 13.1%) and suicide ideation (9.2% v. 4.1%) after the accident. In the year preceding interview, the rates of depression (14.9% v. 7.1%), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (4.1% v. 1.0%) and headaches (69.2% v. 12.4%) were elevated. Affected workers lost more work days than affected controls. Exposure level was associated with current somatic and PTSD symptom severity.
Long-term mental health consequences of Chernobyl were observed in clean-up workers.
This case–control study was conducted to estimate the radiation‐induced risk of acute leukemia during the period from 1987 to 1997 among residents 0–5 years of age at the time of the Chernobyl ...accident in the most radioactively contaminated territories of the Ukraine (Rivno, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv and Cherkasy regions). Data were collected from 246 leukemia cases diagnosed between 1 January, 1987, and 31 December, 1997. Each case was verified and interviewed. Verified cases were compared to 492 randomly selected controls matched by age, sex, type of settlement (rural, semirural and urban) and administrative region of residency. The cumulative level of radiation exposure from the time of the Chernobyl accident to the date of diagnosis was assessed for each case and corresponding controls. Four dose‐range groups were selected for statistical analysis (0–2.9, 3–9.9, 10–99.9 and 100–313.3 mGy). The risk of leukemia was significantly increased (–2.4 95%CI: 1.4–4.0) among those with radiation exposure doses higher than 10 mGy (p = 0.01). The association between radiation exposure and risk was stronger among males (–2.8 95%CI: 1.4–5.5, p = 0.01), and for cases of acute leukemia that were diagnosed during the period from 1987 to 1992 (–2.5 95%CI: 1.2–5.1, p = 0.05), particularly acute myeloid leukemia (–5.8 95%CI: 1.4–24.6, p = 0.05). The influence of possible confounders and methods of selecting controls on the leukemia risk assessment was analyzed. The evaluated risk per unit dose is discussed.
Following a nuclear accident, a major dilemma for affected people is whether to stay or leave the affected area, or, for those who have been evacuated, whether or not to return to the decontaminated ...zones. Populations who have to make such decisions have to consider many parameters, one of which is the radiological situation. Feedback from Chernobyl and Fukushima has demonstrated that involvement and empowerment of the affected population is a way to provide them with the necessary elements to make informed decisions and, if they decide to return to decontaminated areas, to minimise exposure by contributing to the development of a prudent attitude and vigilance towards exposure. However, involving stakeholders in postaccident management raises the question of the role of experts and public authorities in supporting the inhabitants who have to make decisions about their future. Based on experiences in Chernobyl and Fukushima, this paper will discuss various principles that have to be taken into account by experts and public authorities about their role and position when dealing with stakeholders in a postaccident recovery process.
The aim of this study was to investigate the mean survival time for Chernobyl clean-up workers (liquidators) with diagnosed solid cancer. The cohort of liquidators contained 142 871 males who worked ...in the Chernobyl exclusion zone from 1986–1987. Individual medical and dosimetry information collected during the follow-up period from 1991 up to 2015 was used in the study. The number of liquidators cases with documented stages of the disease was 7652, the number of overall death cases among those liquidators was 5085 (4351 deaths were due to cancer). Mean survival time for liquidators after the diagnosis of solid cancer (ICD-10: C00-C80.9) and documented tumor stages between 2000 over 2015 was 4.73 years. For tumors of respiratory organs (ICD-10: C30-C39.9), the mean survival time was 2.57 years; for tumors of digestive organs (ICD-10: C15-C26.9), 3.55 years. The mean survival time for liquidators with a documented diagnosis of cancer was continuously increasing despite the cohort aging and the increase of total mortality. The relationship between the mean survival time and tumor stage was studied. The dependence of the mean survival time on the stage of the tumor was investigated. The survival time, when changing from the 1st stage to the 4th stage, decreased seven times (from 8.62 to 1.22 years). The relationship between the mean survival time and radiation dose received by a liquidator was studied. Two dose groups were identified: group 0–100 mGy (average dose: 56.6 mGy) and group 100+ mGy (average dose: 187.9 mGy). Mean survival time was 4.66 and 4.72 years and the difference between the values was insignificant. Studies carried out in the cohort with varying size and age provided actual estimates of the effects of technological factors on health of certain human populations and groups.
PDF
