RADIATION & RISK
Bulletin of the National Radiation and Epidemiological Registry
since 1992
About the Journal : 2026 : vol. 35, No. 2 : Updated results of the radiation epidemiological study of the incidence of the descendants of the first generation of participants in the consequences of the Chernobyl accident

Updated results of the radiation epidemiological study of the incidence of the descendants of the first generation of participants in the consequences of the Chernobyl accident

«Radiation and Risk», 2026, vol. 35, No. 2, pp.128-139

DOI: 10.21870/0131-3878-2026-35-2-128-139

Authors

Korelo A.M. – Sen. Researcher. Contacts: 4 Korolyov str., Obninsk, Kaluga region, Russia, 249035; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Chekin S.Yu. – Head of Lab.
Tumanov K.A. – Head of Lab., C. Sc., Biol.
Karpenko C.V. – Engineer
Zelenskaya N.S. – Researcher
Lashkova O.E. – Researcher
Shchukina N.V. – Sen. Researcher
Maksioutov M.A. – Head of Dep., C. Sc., Tech. A. Tsyb MRRC.
A. Tsyb MRRC, Obninsk

Abstract

When protecting and managing populations exposed to ionizing radiation, special attention is paid to the problem of proving hereditary risks of radiation-induced morbidity in humans. The study of the morbidity of the descendants of the first generation of participants in the consequences of the Cher-nobyl accident was carried out using data accumulated in the National Radiological and Epidemio-logical Registry over 38 years of observation of a cohort consisting of 15,450 descendants. The pre-vious analysis of data on the health status of participants in the offspring cohort was conducted five years ago. Parametric modeling of morbidity did not reveal an association between the radiation dose of fathers and the prevalence of congenital diseases of their offspring. The age of the father at the time of conception was a statistically significant factor – the congenital morbidity was higher in off-spring whose fathers were over 30 years old. The age of the father, his exposure, and the time elapsed from the father's exposure to the birth of the child did not affect the cancer incidence of the offspring. For most classes of non-cancerous diseases, no statistically significant dependence on the dose of the father's radiation was found, but a relationship with age and time elapsed after irradiation was revealed. At the end of the study, the cohort members were under 40 years old. Continued monitoring of their health status may lead to stable estimates of radiation risk for individual diseases.

Key words
National Radiation and Epidemiological Registry, Chernobyl liquidators, descendants of irradiated parents, congenital malformations, radiation dose, radiation and epidemiological analysis, impact of radiation exposure on the morbidity of offspring, assessment of radiation risk, public health.

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