[en] The histological verification of thyroid carcinoma that have occurred in children in the contaminated areas of the Russian Federation after Chernobyl has been performed by pathologists from Obninsk and Cambridge. Formalin fixed material and paraffin blocks of 10 cases of childhood thyroid cancer were received from different hospitals in Russia during 1993-1995. 4 of the cases were female, and 6 male. In one of these cases the material available in Cambridge unfortunately showed no tumor. Of the other 9 cases, all were papillary carcinomas. 5 showed the solid follicular pattern, predominant in younger children in the UK and forming the great majority of the recent childhood cases in both Belarus and the Ukraine. 2 were predominantly oxyphil carcinomas which were classified with papillary carcinomas on both architectural and cytological grounds, and 2 showed the features of the classic type of papillary carcinoma, predominant among the older children in the UK. All children came from areas contaminated by fallout from the Chernobyl accident, with 6 from Bryansk 1 from Kaluga and 3 from Tula. All cases were confirmed by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization for thyroid differentiation markers. The oncogenes ret, met and p53 were also studied by immunohistochemistry

[en] The integrated and comprehensive real-time on-line decision support system, RODOS, for off-site emergency management of nuclear accidents is being developed under the auspices of the European Commission's Radiation Protection Research Action. A large number of both West and East European institutes are involved in the further development of the existing prototype versions to operational use with significant contributions coming from the partner institutes in the CIS Republics. This paper summarizes the structure, the main functions and the status of the RODOS system

[en] This paper presents main results of joint studies carried out in frame of EC-coordinated ECP-3 Project 'Modelling and study of the mechanisms of the transfer of radioactive material from the terrestrial ecosystem to and in water bodies around Chernobyl' in part of geochemical pathways. Physico-chemical models of specific migration processes are developed and recommended for application as sub models for inclusion in the decision support system (JSP-1). Main parameters, determining the behaviour of radionuclides in aquatic ecosystems are identified and methods for their estimation in |emergency situations are proposed

[en] Contaminated forests can contribute significantly to human radiation dose for a few decades after initial contamination. Exposure occurs through harvesting the trees, manufacture and use of forest products for construction materials and paper production, and the consumption of food harvested from forests. Certain groups of the population, such as wild animal hunters and harvesters of berries, herbs and mushrooms, can have particularly large intakes of radionuclides from natural food products. Forestry workers have been found to receive radiation doses several times higher than other groups in the same area. The generic radionuclide cycling model 'forestpath' is being applied to evaluate the human radiation dose and risks to population groups resulting from living and working near the contaminated forests. The model enables calculations to be made to predict the internal and external radiation doses at specific times following the accident. The model can be easily adjusted for dose calculations from other contamination scenarios (such as radionuclide deposition at a low and constant rate as well as complex deposition patterns). Experimental data collected in the forests of Southern Belarus are presented. These data, together with the results of epidemiological studies, are used for model calibration and validation

[en] The goal of this work is to evaluate different options of intervention for the recovery of contaminated environments. It will consider not only the efficiency of the countermeasures in terms of dose reduction, but also in terms of costs, wastes and other possible secondary consequences, in order to obtain the best possible strategy for each particular circumstance. This paper summarizes the methodology of optimization of intervention, which has been carried out in the framework of CEC-CHECIR ECP-4 Project

[en] This paper describes scope, design and first results of a multi-centre follow-up database that has been established for the evaluation of mid- and long-term health consequences of acute radiation syndrome (ARS) survivors. After the Chernobyl accident on 26 April 1986, 237 cases with suspected acute radiation syndrome have been reported. For 134 of these cases the diagnosis of ARS was confirmed in a consensus conference three years after the accident. Nearly all survivors underwent regular follow-up examinations in two specialized centres in Kiev and in Moscow. In collaboration with these centres we established a multi-centre clinical follow-up database that records the results of the follow-up examinations in a standardized schema. This database is an integral part of a five step approach to patient evaluation and aims at a comprehensive base for scientific analysis of the mid- and long-term consequences of accidental ionizing radiation. It will allow for a dynamic view on the development of the health status of individuals and groups of patients as well as the identification of critical organ systems that need early support, and an improvement of acute and follow-up treatment protocols for radiation accident victims

[en] The Chernobyl accident caused the development of Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS) in 134 individuals, these were either treated at Hospital 6 (Moscow) or in hospitals in Kiev. Local radiation injuries (LRI) were found in 54 patients from the 108 ARS patients treated in Moscow over the acute period; 2 additional patients from this group had combined radiation and thermal skin injuries (the total number of LRI patients was 56). The effectiveness of Lioxasol, an ethyl alcohol based product containing 2-alliloxoethanol, was investigated in these patients. The treatment group was composed of 8 survivors of ARS with a second degree LRI caused by relatively uniform gamma-beta exposure. The control group was composed of 8 patients suffering from ARS also of second degree (7 patients) or first degree (1 patient) reactions caused by external, relatively uniform, gamma-beta exposure between 1956 and 1970. The time of re-epithelisation in the treated group was 25.4±3.1 days after irradiation. This was slightly shorter than the 28.3±4.9 days in the control group. However, this difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The effectiveness of Lioxasol was further studied on pig skin. Multiple sites in the same animal were irradiated with 22.5 mm diameter ⁹⁰Sr/⁹⁰Y plaques. The time of onset of moist desquamation and the subsequent healing times were used as end points. Following a single dose of 35 Gy, a dose known to produce moist desquamation in all irradiated sites, Lioxasol was applied topically twice a day. Lioxasol treatment (twice daily), which started the day after irradiation, delayed the time of onset of moist desquamation significantly from 5.1±0.2 weeks to 5.5±0.2 weeks. However, the most marked effect was on the number of sites that healed within 3 weeks of the first appearance of moist desquamation. This was 80±10.3% for sites treated with lioxasol whereas in untreated sites only 26.7±11.4% of the irradiated fields were healed by this time (p<0.001). The possibility that this might be explained by enhanced proliferation of cells in the basal layer of the epidermis was tested by examination of the effects of prolonged Lioxasol treatment on unirradiated pig skin. Twice daily applications of lioxasol for 2 weeks resulted in a 28.6±1.7% increase in the ³H-thymidine labelling index of basal cells. This level of elevation in the labelling index was maintained until 10 weeks; when Lioxasol treatment was stopped. There was no quantifiable evidence of hyperplasia in the epidermis but the number of labelled cells, fibroblasts and endothelial cells, was markedly increased in the papillary dermis. Twice daily application of lioxasol or 2-10 weeks produced a 43-58% increase in the number of labelled cells per mm . These observations provide a possible mechanism for the actions of Lioxasol in ameliorating localized radiation injury to the skin

[en] Pediatric thyroid cancer was diagnosed in 390 patients in Belarus after the Chernobyl accident. The morbidity rates increased by 55.7 times as compared with the 10 year pre-accident period. Thyroid cancer in children is highly aggressive disease accompanied by surrounding tissues and metastatic involvement of lymph nodes

[en] This paper reports the activities and the results of the research carried out by the Centers participating to the JSP4 project, within the framework of the EU program on the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. The project was aimed to develop and to control the application of basic principles for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of thyroid carcinoma, with special attention to the peculiar requirement of children and adolescents. To this purpose, training in Western European Centers was offered to a number of scientists from Belarus, Ukraine and Russia. Several official meetings were organized to share views and to discuss the progress of the project. A basic protocol for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of thyroid carcinoma has been developed and approved by all participating Centers. Hopefully, it will be applied to the new cases and to those already under monitoring. A large part of the protocol is dedicated to the post-surgical treatment with thyroid hormones for the suppression of TSH and with calcitriol for the management of surgical hypoparathyroidism. A detailed protocol to asses iodine deficiency and, eventually, to introduce a program of iodine supplementation has been proposed. The collection of control cases of childhood thyroid carcinoma in non-radiation exposed European countries has been initiated in Italy, France and Germany. This data will be used as control for the post-Chernobyl childhood thyroid carcinomas. Here is reported a preliminary comparison of the clinical and epidemiological features of almost all (n=368) radiation-exposed Belarus children who developed thyroid carcinoma (age at diagnosis < 16 years), with respect to 90 children of the same age group, who, in the past 20 years, have received treatment for thyroid carcinoma in two centers in Italy (Pisa and Rome). Finally, by molecular biology, genetic mutations of the RET proto-oncogene have been found in several samples of thyroid carcinomas provided by the Belarus partners. All together, this project has provided the CIS partners with the most useful information and knowledge in order to allow an effective treatment of the diseased population and, possibly, the prevention in those not yet affected

[en] Luminescence techniques are being used with ceramic materials to provide evaluations of integrated external gamma dose for dose reconstruction in populated areas contaminated by Chernobyl fallout. A range of suitable ceramics can be found associated with buildings: on the exterior surfaces (tiles), within walls (bricks) and within the interiors (porcelain fittings and tiles). Dose evaluations obtained using such samples provide information concerning the time-averaged incident gamma radiation field, average shielding factors and, with the aid of computational modelling techniques, dose estimates at external reference positions