Individual whole-body concentration of ¹³⁷Cesium is associated with decreased blood counts in children in the Chernobyl-contaminated areas, Ukraine, 2008-2010.
The Narodichesky region, Zhitomir Oblast, Ukraine, is situated ∼80 km from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which exploded in 1986 and polluted the environment. A previous study found that children living in villages with high activity of (137)Cesium (Cs) in the soil had decreased levels of hemoglobin, erythrocytes and thrombocytes. These findings motivated the present study that used a more comprehensive exposure assessment, including individual whole-body concentrations (WBC) of (137)Cs (Bq/kg). This cross-sectional sample examined between 2008-2010, included 590 children in the age 0-18 years. Children with higher individual log(WBC) activity in the body had significantly decreased hemoglobin, erythrocyte and thrombocyte counts. The effect of log(WBC) on decreased thrombocyte count was only seen in children older than 12 years. The average village activity of (137)Cs (kBq/m(2)) in soil was associated with decreased blood counts only indirectly, through (137)Cs in the body as an intermediate variable. Children in this study were born at least 4 years after the accident and thus exposed to low doses of ionizing radiation from (137)Cs. This cross-sectional study indicates that low levels may be associated with decreased blood counts, but we cannot exclude that these results are due to residual confounding factors.
Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Anna
A
Lindgren
Department of Radiation Pediatrics, Congenital and Hereditory Pathology, Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine.
Eugenia
E
Stepanova
Department of Radiation Pediatrics, Congenital and Hereditory Pathology, Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine.
Vitaliy
V
Vdovenko
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
Daria
D
McMahon
Department of Radiation Pediatrics, Congenital and Hereditory Pathology, Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine.
Oksana
O
Litvinetz
Department of Radiation Pediatrics, Congenital and Hereditory Pathology, Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine.
Elena
E
Leonovich
Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
Wilfried
W
Karmaus
D000293:Adolescent; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000528:radiation effects*; D001822:Body Burden; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D047852:Chernobyl Nuclear Accident; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D004906:Erythrocyte Count; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000528:radiation effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D010976:Platelet Count; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D014455:Ukraine
D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D004785:Environmental Pollutants