An observation report on the late effects of the disaster of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

As part of international medical cooperation for the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, the authors participated in four fact-finding surveys for the aftermath in May 1990, and May, June, and July 1991. This report gives an outline of the surveys, with the purpose of providing the basic information for the future countermeasures. The focus of this paper is on medical surveys for hematopoietic disease (mainly leukemia), infantile thyroid abnormality, and congenital abnormality. In 8 children undergoing hematopoietic examination, accumulated exposure doses were all one rad or less. Infantile leukemia is discussed in terms of exposure doses, radioactivity, radiation-related leukemic types, and the future management. The results of thyroid examination performed in 40 persons at a hospital in the Ukraine are presented: 17 persons were noted to have sclerosing struma associated with atrophy. Incidence of thyroid cancer, presented from two facilities of the Ukraine and four facilities of the Belorussia, is reported. Thyroid abnormality is discussed in terms of radioiodine, I-131 treatment in Basedow's disease, Bikini nuclear exlosion, Hiroshima and Nagasaki A-bomb survivors, and Chernobyl pediatric survivors. The final topic, congenital abnormality, covers the information on fetal and neonatal death and the occurrence of anomaly obtained from reliable physicians in the Belorussia, and is discussed in terms of exposure doses. Finally, problems encountered in surveys for the aftermath are also mentioned. (N.K.)