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Results for “RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT”

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PubMed1994

137Cs concentration among children in areas contaminated with radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl accident: Mogilev and Gomel oblasts, Belarus.

The level of radiation exposure in children in Belarus caused by the Chernobyl accident was investigated on the basis of whole body 137Cs count. The subjects were 10,062 children (4,762 boys and 5,300 girls) in Mogilev and Gomel, Belarus, who received Chernobyl Sasakawa Health and Medical Cooperation Project health examinations from May 1991 to December 1992 and who were 5-16 y old at the time of examination. The median whole body 137Cs count per body weight varied from 21-48 Bq kg-1 and from 28-126 Bq kg-1 in Mogilev oblast and Gomel oblast, respectively. (The "oblast" is the largest administrative district constituting the country. Belarus consists of 6 oblasts). Corresponding annual effective dose equivalents were all less than the public dose limit of 1 mSv y-1, but the observed levels in the children were considerably higher than the average level of 2.3 Bq kg-1 reported in the past for the former Soviet Union.

Accidents↗
PubMed1993

The occurrence and bioavailability of radioactive 137Cs in small forest lakes in Southern Finland.

Following the Chernobyl accident in late April 1986, central Finland was subjected to considerable radioactive fallout. The radioactive isotope of caesium, (137)Cs, was potentially the most harmful isotope in the fallout because of its long half-life (30 years). (137)Cs activities remained unexpectedly low within the biota (algae, zooplankton, aquatic moss, fish) of some humic forest lakes in southern Finland compared to the clear water lakes within the same district. This observation suggested that humic substances, by binding (137)Cs chemically, may reduce its bioavailability in lake water. Our laboratory experiments (throughflow systems; gel chromatography) demonstrated that binding of (137)Cs by humic substances was negligible in untreated lake waters; only when most of the alkali metals had been removed with an ion exchange resin was any binding of (137)Cs by low molecular humic fractions apparent. Instead, the concentrations of cations (especially potassium) were of overwhelming importance for the bioavailability of (137)Cs within the lacustrine ecosystems. The concentrations of (137)Cs within food chains are expected to stay at a high level for many years especially in lakes with long water renewal times.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

[A survey of radioactive levels of agricultural products in Saitama Prefecture].

Past atmospheric nuclear testing which have been conducted frequently, have caused environmental pollution due to the diffusion of radioactive substances into the atmosphere and from the radioactive fallout. The environmental pollution from nuclear testing into the atmosphere has resulted in the radioactive contamination in agricultural products and has continued for a long time. The radioactive contamination of agricultural products occurs through air, water and soil which were contaminated by radioactive fallout. In this paper, for the purpose of analyzing the extent of the radioactive contamination levels in the agricultural products of Saitama Prefecture, spinach, green soybeans, dried shiitake and welsh onion, were selected among products, as the amount of the harvest is abundant in all of Japan. Radioactivity concentration was investigated by gamma ray spectrometry and radiochemical analysis. The radioactivity concentrations of artificial radioactive nuclides, cesium-137 (137Cs) and strontium-90 (90Sr), were detected in the range which is considered to be the result of radioactive fallout. Moreover, in order to examine the effect on radioactivity concentrations in agricultural products by culinary processing, the raw agricultural products were boiled, and their radioactivity concentrations were compared with the raw produce. The radioactivity concentrations in the boiled were lower than those in the raw produce.

Cesium Radioisotopes↗
PubMed2005

Comparative assessment of natural radioactivity in fallout samples from Patras and Megalopolis, Greece.

Bulk deposition samples were collected simultaneously from two Greek cities, Patras and Megalopolis, with different emission sources of natural radioactivity, on a monthly basis, during a whole year. Gross beta-activity and 238U- and 232Th-activities were determined in a total of 95 samples of deposited dust. The results were statistically analyzed in order to determine the natural radioactivity levels and their variations in the above cities. No significant difference was found in deposited dust amount between the two cities, while the values of gross beta-, 238U- and 232Th-activities were about 3, 71 and 4 times higher in Megalopolis than in Patras, respectively. This was attributed to the operation of lignite power plants A and B in the vicinity of the city of Megalopolis, while natural radioactivity concentrations in Patras' fallout samples were of natural sources.

Carbon↗
PubMed1999

Incidence of thyroid cancer in Scandinavia following fallout from atomic bomb testing: an analysis of birth cohorts.

OBJECTIVES: The occurrence relation between radioactive fallout from nuclear testing at Novaja Semlja in north-west Russia and the incidence of thyroid cancer in Norway and Sweden was studied following a birth cohort approach. METHODS: Birth cohorts with presumably different levels of exposure were identified according to calendar year of atomic tests and previous Norwegian estimates of the population dose (born 1947-1950 received low exposure in late childhood, born 1951-1962 received the highest exposure in early childhood, born 1963-1970 were not exposed). For each one-year birth cohort the incidence rates were calculated, with denominators based on exact population figures for each year of follow-up. RESULTS: In a stratified analysis, the relative risk for the highest exposed cohorts born 1951-1962, compared to those not exposed born 1963-1970, was found to decrease with increasing age from a borderline significant relative risk (RR) of 1.7 (95 percent confidence interval, 95% CI: 1.0-3.0) for children in the age-group 7-14 years to no excess risk among those 20-24 years of age (RR: 0.9; 95% CI: 0.7-1.2). The mean age at diagnosis of thyroid cancer in the age-group 7 14 years was lowest in the birth cohorts with the highest exposure. The Poisson regression analysis showed essentially the same results, with an improved fit when adding an interaction term between age and birth-cohort to a basic model with age, gender, birth-cohort and country. CONCLUSION: These results are compatible with an increased risk of thyroid cancer during childhood and adolescence for subjects exposed to radioactive fallout early in life. Alternative explanations for the pattern of incidence are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Silent disaster: a European perspective on threat perception from Chernobyl far field fallout.

Surveys investigated the perceived threat of radioactive fallout and public coping following a "silent disaster" (Chernobyl) across Europe. Survey data from national representative samples in 12 European countries are compiled, 6 months and 2 years after the accident, across 12 countries. Exposure to information about the accident, and perception of the consequences of Chernobyl as a health threat, were significantly related to the level of fallout in each country. Another significant relationship was found between the level of fallout in these 12 countries and the proportion of respondents who reported having taken countermeasures. Information challenges for the authorities are highlighted.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Main investigation results on the forest radioecology in the Kyshtym and Chernobyl accident zones.

As a result of the long-term studies of radionuclide migration in forest ecosystems in zones of radioactive contamination after the Kyshtym and Chernobyl accidents, the following trends were revealed: (1) High retention capacity of stand canopy with respect to radioactive fallout. This leads to high doses absorbed by apical and leaf meristems, beta-radiation giving the main part of the dose; (2) Fast self-decontamination of crowns during the growth period and relatively slow decontamination in the phase of physiological rest, regardless of amount of atmospheric precipitation. The rate of crown decontamination determines the value and duration of radiation stress on woody plants; (3) Accumulation not less than 95% of the total radionuclide amount in the forest litter 1-2 years after the cessation of radioactive fallout; (4) Relatively slow migration of strontium and cesium radionuclides along the forest soil profile; (5) High capacity of the forest when serving as a biogeochemical barrier to the routes of horizontal and vertical radionuclide migration and export out of the zone of initial contamination, including migration into the river water; (6) Considerable difference between strontium and cesium when migrating in forest soils and in the soil-plant system; (7) Broad variations in transfer factors for uptake of cesium-137 from soil into forest plants depending on the plant species and soil type. The primary radiobiological effects connected with irradiation of organisms are considered and secondary disturbances due to changes of ecological bonds between the components of irradiated forest ecosystem are discussed.

Cesium Radioisotopes↗
PubMed1978

Environmental radioactivity in Greenland in 1977.

Measurements of fallout radioactivity in Greenland in 1977 are reported. Strontium-90 (and Cesium-137 in most cases) was determined in samples of precipitation, sea water, vegetation, animals, and drinking water. Estimates are given of the mean contents of 90Sr and 137Cs in the human diet in Greenland in 1977.

Animals↗