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Article: Physical Dosimetry and Biological Indicators of Carcinogenic Risk in a Cohort of Persons Exposed to Unhealthy Ecological Factors Following the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident.
- Article from:
- Archives of Environmental Health
- Article date:
- November 1, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Heldref Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR POWER PLANT (NPP) accident, which occurred on April 26, 1986, caused profound radioactive contamination in the Polessje region of the Ukraine. The wooded areas experienced unique radionuclide spectrum compositions, with a mosaic pattern of contamination (i.e., macroinhomogenicity).[1] Approximately 25 000 people work in the contaminated forests of Ukrainian Polessje, and tree shoots and bark are food sources for migrating animals and birds.
In humans, radionuclides produce free radicals, which have one or more unpaired electrons. Free radicals in lipids initiate free-radical (peroxide) oxidation. The final products of those chain reactions ...