Results and future trends of research on the Chernobyl accident clean-up programme in the Russian Federation

The results of research relating to liquidation of consequences of ChNPP accident taking into account medical, social, agricultural, economic, radioecological, etc. aspects have been discussed. The problem of evaluating and making more precise the scaled and degree of radiocontamination of the RF territory as well as estimating the current and accumulated doses of public exposure on the whole, has been solved, with the exception of dose reconstruction in the period of acute exposure. Modified farming methods provide for ecologically pure products which comply with valid sanitary regulations and requirements, these products being yielded from the area with contamination levels exceeding 40 Ci/sq.km. The registered levels, structure and dynamics of cancer disease incidence and mortality at radiocontaminated areas tend steadily to grow. However, it is worth mentioning that the latter fact characterizes the situation for the whole country in general and does not correlate with the radiation-induced exposure. Increase in the number of thyroid pathology cases including thyroid cancer for children and teenagers in some districts of Bryansk region exceeds the anticipated rate and can be associated with the exposure resulted from the accident. Mitigation of socio-psychological impact of the radiation accident still remain one of the most important problems. Radiation factor appreciably dominates among other risk factors for the population. Revival of economics in the affected regions fails to keep pace with the corresponding requirements. Considerable progress has been achieved in drawing general conclusions from the experience accumulated in the post-accident period as well as in elaboration of theory of countermeasures