Effects of Long-term Chronic Low-Dose Radiation Exposure thru the Human Food Chain in the Polissia-Chornobyl Region of Ukraine and its Effects on Birth Outcomes
Chornobyl represents the greatest nuclear disaster in human history and its consequences continue to be debated. The health effects of chronic low-dose radiation exposure remains a controversial question. Monitoring after the Chornobyl nuclear accident in Ukraine suggested that chronic low-dose radiation exposure was not linked to cancer mortality among the general population. However, elevated rates of birth defects in contaminated, compared to uncontaminated regions, suggest that chronic exposure to low-dose radiation in utero might impact development and represent an underestimated risk to human health. The overall goal of this study is to determine if continuing exposure to chronic low dose radiation in the Polissia region of Ukraine though the food chain and from inhalation of burning debris is having an impact on the health of newborns, on child health and as a contributor to the development of chronic disease risk in both children and adults.