Children become the first victims of fallout
Pediatric endocrinologist Larisa Astakhova described a dramatic increase in thyroid cancer among the children of Belarus, with half the new cases, starting to appear in 1990, concentrated in Gomel north of Chernobyl. Gomel received heavy doses of radiation, including large amounts of Iodine-131 and other radioactive iodine isotopes, which the body selectively takes up into the thyroid gland. Since this was only 4 years, not the expected 6-8 year after the Chernobyl accident, the scientific public was at first skeptic, but became convinced. The tragic epidemic, the most pronounced health effect of the accident so far, has sparked intense collaborations between Western and Eastern radiation scientists. This article describes the research and implications of these studies.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 426012
- Journal Information:
- Science, Journal Name: Science Journal Issue: 5260 Vol. 272; ISSN SCIEAS; ISSN 0036-8075
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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