Determination of increased radiation risk group among Russian Chernobyl cleanup workers

«Radiation and Risk», 2021, vol. 30, No. 1, pp.147-156

DOI: 10.21870/0131-3878-2021-30-1-147-156

Authors

Chekin S.Yu. – Head of Lab. Contacts: 4 Korolyov str., Obninsk, Kaluga region, Russia, 249035. Tel.: (484) 399-30-79; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Kashcheev V.V. – Head of Lab., C. Sc., Biol.
Maksioutov M.A. – Head of Dep., C. Sc., Tech.
Menyajlo A.N. – Lead. Researcher, C. Sc., Biol.
Korelo A.M. – Senior Researcher
Lovachev S.S. – Research Assistant
Kashcheeva P.V. – Senior Researcher; C. Sc., Biol. A. Tsyb MRRC.
A. Tsyb MRRC, Obninsk

Abstract

One of the main tasks of the National Radiation Epidemiological Registry (NRER) is monitoring the health status of people exposed to radiation as a result of the Chernobyl accident, and providing them with targeted medical care. To optimize the use of resources dedicated to mitigating health effects of the accident, it is reasonable to identify the people at the higher radiation risk, needing the priority medical care. Radiation risk is directly proportional to radiation dose the individuals received, and also depends on the age, sex of the exposed persons and their baseline (in the absence of radiation) risk rates. Among all the people been registered in the NRER the Chernobyl cleanup workers (liquidators) received the highest radiation doses. To determine the group of higher radiation risk of solid cancer among liquidators, an estimate of the attributable radiation fraction, ARF, was used. Among the all liquidators observed in the NRER in 2020, 709 persons, 1.45%, were at the higher risk group of solid cancer, with ARF values exceeding the critical value of 15%. If the critical value of ARF drops to 10%, the group at the higher risk increases to 28% of the total number of the cohort members. The size of the group at the higher risk can be increased or reduced with the use of critical ARF values, depending on the current social and economic situations. However, according to the international experience and assessment results presented in the paper, the critical ARF value may be selected within the range between 10% and 20%.

Key words
radiation risk rate, absorbed dose, radiation risk model, excess absolute risk rate, excess relative risk rate, attributable radiation fraction, solid cancer, liquidators, Chernobyl accident, National Radiation and Epidemiological Registry.

References

1. Federal Law of December 30, 2012 No. 329-FZ "On amendments to certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation with regard to ensuring that changes in the health status of certain categories of citizens exposed to radiation are taken into account". Available at: http://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_140194/ (Accessed 15.01.2021). (In Russian).

2. Law of the Russian Federation of 15.05.1991, No. 1244-I "On social protection of citizens exposed to radiation as a result of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant". Available at: http://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_5323/ (Accessed 15.01.2021). (In Russian).

3. Basic Sanitary Rules for Radiation Safety (OSPORB-99/2010). Health regulations, SP 2.6.1.2612-10. Moscow, Center for Sanitary and Epidemiological Rationing, Hygienic Certification of Russian Ministry of Health, 2010. 80 p. (In Russian).

4. Ivanov V.K., Maksioutov M.A., Tumanov K.A., Kochergina E.V., Vlasov O.K., Chekin S.Yu., Gorski A.I., Korelo A.M., Shchukina N.V., Zelenskaya N.S., Lashkova O.E., Ivanov S.A., Kaprin A.D. 35-year experience in the functioning of the National Radiation and Epidemiological Registry as a State information system for monitoring the radiological consequences of the Chernobyl accident. Radiatsiya i risk – Radiation and Risk, 2021, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 7-39. (In Russian).

5. Pitkevich V.A., Ivanov V.K., Tsyb A.F., Maksioutov M.A., Matyash V.A., Shchukina N.V. Dosimetric data of the Russian State Medical and Dosimetric Register for liquidators. Radiatsiya i risk – Radiation and Risk, 1995, special issue 2, pp. 3-44. (In Russian).

6. Publication 103 of the International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP): trans. from English. Eds.: M.F. Kiselyov, N.K. Shandala. Moscow, LLC PKF "Alana", 2009. 312 p. Available at: http://www.icrp.org/docs/P103_Russian.pdf (Accessed 15.01.2021). (In Russian).

7. Chekin S.Yu., Menyajlo A.N., Kashcheev V.V., Lovachev S.S., Maksioutov M.A., Gorski A.I., Kashcheeva P.V. Prospective lifetime radiation risk of cancer among Russian cleanup workers in Chernobyl. Radiatsiya i risk – Radiation and Risk, 2021, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 94-109. (In Russian).

8. United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). Sources and effects of ionizing radiation. UNSCEAR 2006 Report Vol. I, Annex A: Epidemiological studies of radiation and cancer. New York, United Nation, 2008. 383 p.

9. Health risk assessment from the nuclear accident after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami based on a preliminary dose estimation. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2013. 172 p.

10. Ivanov V.K., Karpenko S.V., Kashcheev V.V., Chekin S.Yu., Maksioutov M.A., Tumanov K.A., Shchukina N.V., Kochergina E.V., Zelenskaya N.S., Lashkova O.E. Radiation risks of the Russian participants in the mitigation of the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant for the period 1992-2017. Part I: incidence of solid cancers. Radiatsiya i risk – Radiation and Risk, 2019, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 16-30. (In Russian).

11. Malignant neoplasms in Russia in 2019 (morbidity and mortality). Eds.: A.D. Kaprin, V.V. Starinsky, A.O. Shakhzadova. Moscow, MNIOI them. P.A. Herzen – branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "National Medical Research Center of Radiology" of the Ministry of Health of Russia, 2020. 251 p. Available at: https://glavonco.ru/cancer_register/ Забол_2019_Электр.pdf (Accessed 15.01.2021) (In Russian).

12. Approaches to attribution of detrimental health effects to occupational ionizing radiation exposure and their application in compensation programmes for cancer: a practical guide. Occupational Safety and Health Series, No. 73. Eds.: S. Niu, P. Deboodt, H. Zeeb. Geneva, International Labour Organization, 2010. 99 p.

Full-text article (in Russian)