RE: Lancet Dec. 8th abstract - Chernobyl thyroid cancer incidence

["North, David" <DNorth@LIFESPAN.ORG>]

I think that the point of the article is that the thyroid cancers show up in

those children who were born before the accident of 4/26/86 because they

were actively consuming foodstuffs from the environment (milk, veggies,

etc.) on their own when the I-131 was released. Those born immediately after

the accident presumably had not been weaned by the time the I-131 had

decayed substantially. If they ingested any via breast milk, it was heavily

filtered by their mothers first. The article could have been more explicit

about this reasoning, assuming I have interpreted it correctly.



David L. North, Sc.M. DABR

Associate Physicist

Department of Medical Physics

Main Bldg Rm 317

Rhode Island Hospital

593 Eddy St.

Providence, RI 02903

ph: (401)444-5961

fax: (401)444-4446

dnorth@lifespan.org





> ----------

> From: 	Mike Lantz

> Reply To: 	Mike Lantz

> Sent: 	Monday, December 10, 2001 18:57

> To: 	Michael C. Baker; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

> Subject: 	Re: Lancet Dec. 8th abstract - Chernobyl thyroid cancer

> incidence

> 

> "However, scarcity of reliable estimates of individual thyroid dose has

> hindered conclusions

> about the exact effect of the Chernobyl accident on thyroid glands in

> children."

> 

> "The major difference in background was that children in group I (born

> after the accident;

> 0.00%) were not exposed to fallout, whereas those in groups II (Born

> within months; 0·04%) and

> III (born before; 0.32%) were probably exposed to fallout in utero or

> directly, respectively."

> 

> 

> 

> I've read the article now; thanks for the link.  Their results would imply

> that "in utero"

> photon exposure or the uptake of radioiodine to a developing fetus is an

> insignificant

> effect;  that only young infants were affected by the accident.   Does

> that make sense?

> 

> Mike Lantz

> 

> "Michael C. Baker" wrote:

> 

> > The following abstract may be of interest.

> >

> > Mike ... mcbaker@lanl.gov

> >

> > ----------------------------

> > 15 years after Chernobyl: new evidence of thyroid cancer

> > Yoshisada Shibata, Shunichi Yamashita, Vladimir B Masyakin, Galina D

> > Panasyuk, Shigenobu Nagataki

> >

> > The Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident happened on April 26, 1986.

> We

> > investigated the cause of the striking increase in frequency of thyroid

> > cancer in children who lived within a 150 km radius of Chernobyl and who

> > were born before and after the accident. No thyroid cancer was seen in

> 9472

> > children born in 1987-89, whereas one and 31 thyroid cancers were

> recorded

> > in 2409 children born April 27, 1986, to Dec 31, 1986, and 9720 born Jan

> 1,

> > 1983, to April 26, 1986, respectively. Short-lived radioactive fallout

> > caused by the Chernobyl accident probably induced thyroid cancer in

> > children living near Chernobyl.

> >

> > Lancet 2001; 358: 1965-66

> >

> >

> http://www.thelancet.com/journal/vol358/iss9297/full/llan.358.9297.origina

> l_research.18710

> >

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