Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2013. Vol. 58. No. 5. P. 35-50

RADIATION MEDICINE

E.M. Melikhova

Changes in Induced Abortion Statistics in 1986 are not Attributable to the Psychological Consequences of Chernobyl

Nuclear Safety Institute of RAS, Moscow, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Purpose: To verify the hypothesis on increased rate of induced abortion due to the public fears of Chernobyl radiation in the affected Soviet republics and European countries.

Material and methods: Verified data on induced abortions and live births in the affected republics / counties in 1985–1987 were obtained from demographical databases of UN, INED and the State Statistical Service of USSR. Data for the most contaminated regions of the USSR were taken from the national scientific publications and international Chernobyl reports. Data related to increase of induced abortion rates in a few European countries published in 1987–2001 were crosschecked against statistical errors and changes in corresponding national abortion legislations.

Results: In Belorussian and Ukrainian Republics of the USSR, there were not statistically significant increments of induced abortion rates in 1986 against 1985. In five most contaminated administrative regions of the USSR, legal induced abortion rates in 1986 did not show statistically significant increment as well. No indications, direct or indirect, of noticeable increase of legal or criminal abortion statistics in 1986 were referred by competent national and international experts in the course of extensive studies of medical and psychological consequences of the accident. In fifteen affected European countries, significant increment of induced abortion rates in 1986 was registered in two countries only, namely in Greece and Slovakia, where abortions were legalized that year. The results published in 1987–2001 in favor of the hypothesis were invalid either due to inappropriate statistical analysis or due to ignorance of long-term trends in demographic processes.

Conclusions: 1. Results of the study allow to reject the hypothesis. Even if somewhere anxiety and fear of radiation made some women to perform induced abortions, the number of such cases was far below statistical error. 2. The study suggests that in contaminated territories, despite anxiety and distress most people do not show un-adequate behavior.

Key words: Chernobyl, psychological consequences, induced abortion, birthrate, demographical statistics

Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2013. Vol. 58. No. 5. P. 11-25

RADIATION SAFETY

Yu.I. Gavrilin

Retrospective Estimation of ¹³¹I Integrated Deposition Considering Prolonged Character of Area Contamination

Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Center of FMBA, Moscow, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Purpose: Development of reliable method for estimation of integrated ¹³¹I deposition considering prolonged fall-out character, first of all, for the areas with density of ¹³⁷Cs deposition less than 3.7×104 Bq m^–2. Those estimates will be used in order to reconstruct the thyroid doses.

Material and methods: We used the results of determination of daily deposition of ¹³¹I on plane-tables placed in 43 reference points which were received by the staff of Scientific Production Association “Taifun” from various regions of former USSR being based on treatment with corresponding materials. In addition, the results of determination of ¹³¹I and ¹³⁷Cs activity in soil samples collected by the staff of the Institute of Nuclear Energy (Belarus) and other researchers in various areas at different times after the Chernobyl accident have been used. A new reliable method for estimation of integrated ¹³¹I deposition using the simplest way is presented.

Results: 1) It has been shown that the value of the ratio of total activity of ¹³¹I (G_ΣΣ(I)) to the integrated deposition of ¹³¹I q_Σ(I) reaches its maximum value on 56th day after the Chernobyl accident. For the areas with deposition of ¹³¹I more than 4500 Bq m^–2 a relationship has been received П =12 while for the areas with deposition of ¹³¹I less than 4500 Bq m^–2 – П = 11.

2) It has been shown that the transfer from accumulated activity of ¹³¹I in soil (G_ΣГ(I)) on day (t) to the integrated activity of ¹³¹I, for example, during 56 days counting from the date of the accident can be taken into account by using the relationship G_ΣГ(I) × Z = G_ΣΣ(I). The values of coefficient of Z have been determined for 10 reference (index «O») cities for each day from 26.04 to 12.07.1986 with the values of the integrated deposition of ¹³¹I q_Σ(I) from 4.3×103 to 2.7×106 Bq m^–2.

The measured values of activity G_ΣГ(I)_jх in soil for any day (t) in the vicinity of the settlement «j» located in territory «x» НП_jх are compared with the values from Table G_ΣГ(I)о for reference cities НПо for the same day (t), selecting the most close to the corresponding values of G_ΣГ(I)о together with corresponding value of Z. The values of integrated deposition for НП_jх are assessed according to the relationship q_Σ(I)_jх = G_ΣГ(I)_jх×Z / П. Clarification of the parameters used is presented in section “Introduction”.

The calculated values of parameter q_Σ(I)_jх together with corresponding values of parameter q_Σ(Cs)_jх are used to derive the relationship of q_Σ(I)_jх versus q_Σ(Cs)_jх for an area of interest, according to which the integrated deposition of ¹³¹I are assessed for НП_jх where only integrated values of ¹³⁷Cs are known.

Conclusion: A simple and reliable method for reconstruction of the integrated deposition of ¹³¹I for areas of interest has been developed.

Key words: Chernobyl accident, retrospective dosimetry, deposition of ¹³¹I and ¹³⁷Cs, thyroid gland

Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2013. Vol. 58. No. 5. P. 26-34

RADIATION SAFETY

V.F. Demin^1,3, V.V. Romanov², V.Yu. Soloviev³, I.E. Zakharchenko¹

Harmonized Approach to the Health Safety Regulation in Different Areas of Human Activity

1. National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, Moscow, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; 2. Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia; 3. Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Center, Moscow, Russia

Abstract

Purpose: To develop a harmonized approach to the management of safety in different areas of human activity.

Material and methods: The basic principles of decision-making on safety: the justification principle, the principle of the protection optimization and the principle of risk limitation have been regarded.

Results: It is proposed two ways (or steps) of harmonization: the first step is to prepare a scientific basis for the harmonization in sanitary regulation between different areas of human activity, overcoming the existing discords. This allows us to move to international harmonization – the harmonization of safety standards and other hygienic standards existing in different countries. We propose an unified approach to establishment of safety standards and other levels of decision-making on safety with the use of risk analysis in different spheres of human activity. Based on this approach, we propose the general safety standards for professionals and the public. Based on these universal safety standards, other levels of decision making on safety rights for a number of contemporary influences of controlled sources of exposure could be proposed.

Conclusions: The developed approach can serve as a basis for proposals elaboration on international harmonization of regulatory and methodical documents on safety innovation in various fields of industrial and other human activities.

Key words: risk assessment, risk index, methodology, health risk standard, harmonization, decision making principle

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Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2013. Vol. 58. No. 5. P. 5-10

RADIATION BIOLOGY

E.S. Evstratova, N.M. Kabakova, V.G. Petin

Cell Recovery from Potentially Lethal Damage after Repeated Exposure to Ionizing Radiation

Medical Radiological Research Center, Russian, Obninsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Purpose: To study the ability of diploid yeast cells to recover from potentially lethal radiation damage induced by repeated exposure to cells completely recovered from the previous irradiation.

Material and methods: After irradiation of diploid yeast cells with ⁶⁰Co γ-rays or ²³⁹Pu α-particles and their complete recovery from potentially lethal damage, the cells were irradiated repeatedly. The sequence of irradiation-recovery was repeated thirdly. Basing on the mathematical model of recovery, the probability of recovery per unit time and the portion of irreversibly damaged cells were quantitatively evaluated.

Results: It was shown that the part of irreversibly damaged cells increased after repeated exposure. This effect was more expressed after exposure with high LET ionizing radiation. On the contrary, the constant of recovery, characterizing the probability of recovery per unit time, didn’t depend on the number of repeated irradiation, but it slightly decreased after high LET irradiation.

Conclusion: Concluded that the decrease in the cell ability to recover from potentially lethal radiation damage, expressed in a great extent after exposure with high LET ionizing radiation, is mainly explained by the increase in the part of irreversibly damaged cells, while the recovery process itself decreased only slightly.

Key words: cell recovery, ionizing radiation, potentially lethal damage, mathematical model, irreversible component, the probability of recovery, yeast cells, repeated irradiation