Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2016. Vol. 61. No. 3. P. 5-16

l.A. Ilyin¹, J.E. Kenigsberg², I.I. Linge³, I.A. Likhtarev⁴, M.N. Savkin³

Radiation Protection of the Population in Response to the Chernobyl Accident

1. A.I. 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. ; 2. National Committee on Radiation Protection of Belarus, Minsk, Belarus; 3. Nuclear Safety Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia; 4. Radiation Protection Institute, Kiev, Ukraine

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The analysis of the radiobiological aspects of emergency response: hygienic criteria for radiation protection of the population in various phases of the accident, radiation zoning, the achievements and shortcomings of the measures taken, comparison of the scientific basis, used for government decision-making, with modern approaches and criteria.

Material and methods: The study was carried out by studying the experience of the implementation of specific actions for localization of the source at the nuclear plant and radiation protection of the population in the first post-accident years, under the condition of really existed decision-making system for emergency situations at the time of the accident.

Results: The basic results and radiological consequences of the emergency work for accident localization at the site and in a 30-km zone are formulated. The degree of safety of emergency radiationhygienic regulations for the liquidators was estimated. Efficiency of the main ways of population protection in the early phase of the accident was investigated: public shelter, population evacuation, iodine prophylaxis. Processes of radiation zoning on the basis of dose approach (L.A. Ilyin, Y.A. Izrael) - the most important remedies implemented in the intermediate and late phases of the accident were analyzed. It was discussed in detail, in practical terms, one of the main short-term and long-term remedies - hygienic regulation of the content of radionuclides in food.

Conclusion: With the exception of iodine prophylaxis, remedies for public radiation protection were timely, helped to avoid deterministic effects of radiological exposure and reduces the longterm consequences. Later, the establishment of the iodine prophylaxis would require a large-scale of health care operations in contaminated areas associated with early diagnosis and treatment of victims. Activities of radiation protection at a late stage of the accident were excessive and ceased to be priority in comparison to other directions of rehabilitation.

Key words: radiation protection, population, radiation dose, standards, permissible levels, food products

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For citation: Ilyin LA, Kenigsberg JаE, linge II, likhtarev IA, Savkin MN. Radiation Protection of the Population in Response to the Chernobyl Accident. Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2016;61(3):5-16. Russian.

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