#  Medical Literature Thus Far 

 



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After the Chernobyl accident, there were concerns about an [increase in cancer rates](https://academic.oup.com/epirev/article/27/1/56/520833) in the areas affected by radiation due to the distribution of relatively small doses of radiation over a long period. Radiation exposure can come from both internal and external sources, but some medical sources have chosen [to overlook internal exposure](https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0952-4746/26/2/001) (such as ingestion of contaminated substances) in their analyses. Researchers have focused on solid cancers, such as thyroid and breast cancer, as well as leukemia, which has been linked to radiation exposure in previous studies of atomic bomb survivors. While there is some evidence linking radiation exposure from the accident to thyroid cancer, other types of cancer, such as colon cancer and leukemia, require further investigation.

In Europe, there has been an increasing trend of cancer incidence since 1986, especially in areas with significant radiation exposure from Chernobyl. However, this increase was only significantly notable for thyroid cancer after the accident. In Belarus, Ukraine, and parts of Russia, there were numerous cases of thyroid cancer among children and adolescents 20 years after the incident. This is because the highest organ-specific dose was to the thyroid gland, largely due to ingestion and exposure to various radionuclides of iodine. These cases predominantly involved [papillary cancer](https://columbiasurgery.org/conditions-and-treatments/papillary-thyroid-cancer), which is linked to radiation exposure, easily treatable, and common in young people. Furthermore, it seems like many of the cancers are extremely aggressive.

Leukemia, which is a cancer of the early blood-forming cells, [has also been associated with exposure to ionizing radiation](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352302615000940), and its prevalence has been used to assess risk in radiation-exposed population. However, findings from leukemia cases have been inconclusive compared to thyroid cancer studies.

### Kids/Infants

Studies have shown that exposure to radiation increases the risk of thyroid cancer, and this risk is higher for children than adults. This is hypothesized to be due to children have lower metabolic rates, which allows radiation to accumulate in their bodies for longer periods and cause more damage. Children also consume more milk, which was [found to contain radionuclides after the Chernobyl accident](https://www.nature.com/articles/nrc845), exposing them to higher doses of radiation. Additionally, children's vital organs are still developing, making them more susceptible to the harmful effects of radiation.

Research has also shown that in-utero, early infant, and toddler exposure to radiation can have serious health consequences, including pregnancy loss, malformation, growth and development disturbances, genetic mutations, and carcinogenic effects. Fetuses further along in pregnancy are especially vulnerable to radiation exposure, as they have less protection from the external environment.

However, there is a lot of conflicting literature regarding the relationship between radiation exposure and cancer rates. While some studies have found a significant increase in leukemia diagnosis and thyroid abnormality rates in infant exposure to radiation from the Chernobyl disaster, others have found no relationship whatsoever. Some studies have even found weak correlations that lack significance. The same holds for non-infant child exposure to radiation due to Chernobyl and no major increase in leukemia rates, lack of associations between cancer risk and dose of radiation, or increases that lack significance. This holds for thyroid cancer as well, where some studies found no differences in thyroid abnormality rates, others found significant differences. In addition, the standard approach of looking for significant increases in cancer rates from long-term radiation raises questions about how to be sensitive to small changes in incidence rates over time. More research is needed to fully understand the effects of radiation exposure on cancer rates.

### Adults/Workers/Liquidators

While we have some understanding of how radiation affects children, its impact on adults exposed is not as clear. Studies conducted on workers and adults at the time of the Chernobyl incident have shown no significant correlations between them and various forms of cancer in the decade following the disaster. Similarly, studies have not found any [significant difference in cancer prevalence](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/398869) between individuals living in contaminated and non-contaminated villages in the region. There is also conflicting data on the prevalence of thyroid cancer and leukemia in some of the more contaminated areas. Some studies have found no increased risk of leukemia, while others have found a slight increase that is not necessarily linked to the incident.



 



 

 See also:- [ Chornobyl ](/projects/chornobyl)