Immunobiology and Psychosocial Aspects of the Health of Children After the Chernobyl Disaster

Abstract

Chernobyl, yet it is unclear when the problems related to living on contaminated soil will be alleviated. Post-disaster medical and public health planning must evaluate specific disease outcomes and the impact of alterations of the physical environment on human health, and must assess the deleterious effects of societal and economic changes on the well-being of populations. This report focused on the current weaknesses in medical planning and response to nuclear disasters in the period after an acute emergency (i.e., the mid-and long-term health consequences). These are critical times in dealing with many problems related to chemical, biological, and other humanmade disasters, as well as natural disasters. The medical and social sciences are least developed in dealing with post-disaster health concerns in the mid-and long-term. Major deficiencies include the need for adequate testing methods that can be applied to large groups for monitoring their physical and psychological health. The creation of mobile units to evaluate mid-and long-term health risks among populations exposed to releases of nuclear radiation at Chernobyl, in the Ural mountains, and following other disasters is described. The findings indicate substantial, long-term physical and psychological health effects, and illustrate the importance of regular screening in assessing disaster impacts on health.

Effect of cesium radioisotope on humoral immune status in Ukrainian children with clinical symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome related to Chernobyl disaster

“…Studies of children were also conflicting. Children evacuated from Pripyat (Bebeshko et al, 1996) also did not have significant differences in immunological parameters from control groups. Children examined 2 years after the accident from Mogilev and Gomel did not show abnormalities in levels of T-lymphocytes but showed a minor increase in B-lymphocytes (Galizka, 1990).…”