AW: [ RadSafe ] Reporting about Chernobyl

[Bjorn Cedervall]

>The doses received

There are several dose categories to consider. One is the doses received by 
those directly involved in putting out the fire at Chernobyl and other acute 
measures. These workers received very high doses with the acute radiation 
syndrome (the order of 200 individuals - including 28 direct radiation 
induced deaths). Then there is the thyroid doses - most important for those 
who were children at the time and lived in the fallout areas. The thyroid 
cancers (according to the latest UN bodies) now  amout to almost 5000 extra 
cases - at least 15 of these have died from the thyroid cancer. The dose 
estimates here are statistically quite uncertain but the cause-effect is 
certainly there.

Now over to the article I referred to: This is about a girl who was born 12 
years after the accident. Therefore this cannot be an iodine(131)-thyroid 
case.

I recently heard a presentation about the doses in fallout areas (Bryansk) - 
I can come back to the deposition levels - quite striking were the dose 
levels to people living there (based on several different kinds of 
measurements/estimates) - on average around 2.5 mSv extra.

In order to statistically detect cancer among humans at a dose level of 1 
mSv about one billion exposed individuals are required. Take into account 
that this is about children and that there may be indivuals far above an 
average of 2-3 mSv I still question the increased cancer risk by a factor of 
3 (as the Aftonbladet article stated). Basically much more information is 
needed for a relevant perspective and understanding. This was not the 
purpose of the article however.

My personal ideas only,

Bjorn Cedervall    bcradsafers at hotmail.com