Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Thyroid cancer risk to children calculated

  • Scientific Correspondence
  • Published:

From Nature

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Abstract

The Chernobyl reactor accident was followed by a sharp increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer among children and adolescents in Belarus (Belorussia) and Ukraine1,2. Exposure to iodine-131 (131I) was responsible for most of the doses that affected the thyroids of these children; however, among evacuees, up to 40% of each dose could derive from other incorporated radionuclides and external exposures3. From the data set compiled after this incident, we estimated the increased risk of developing thyroid cancer after exposure to radioactive iodine. The figure we obtained for most of the affected regions fell within the 95% confidence interval of a previous follow-up of thyroid cancer after external exposures.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1: Excess thyroid cancer risk in the period 1991-1995 among people born between 1971 and 1986.

References

  1. Kazakov, V. S., Demidchik, E. P. & Astakova, L. N. Nature 359, 21 (1992).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Likhtarev, I. A.et al. Nature 375, 365 (1995).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Goulko, G. M. et al. 36, 261-273 (1998).

  4. Likhtarev, I. A.et al. Health Phys. 69, 6–15 (1995).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Drozdovitch, V. V.et al. Radiat. Environ. Biophys. 36, 17–23 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Gavrilin, Y. et al. in The Radiological Consequences of the Chernobyl Accident,1011-1020(EUR 16544, European Commission, 1996).

  7. Zvonova, I. A. & Balonov, M. I. in The Chernobyl Papers, 71-126 (Research Enterprises Publishing Segment, Richland, Washington, 1993).

  8. Williams, E. D. et al. in The Radiological Consequences of the Chernobyl Accident 699-714 (EUR 16544, European Commission, 1996).

  9. Sobolev, B., Heidenreich, W. F., Kairo, I., Jacob, P., Goulko, G. & Likhtarev, I. Radiat. Environ. Biophys. 36, 195–199 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Ron, E.et al. Radiat. Res. 141, 259–277 (1995).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health, D-85764, Neuherberg, Germany

    P. Jacob, G. Goulko & W. F. Heidenreich

  2. Radiation Protection Institute, 252050, Kiev, Ukraine

    I. Likhtarev & I. Kairo

  3. Ukrainian Research Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism, 254114, Kiev, Ukraine

    N. D. Tronko & T. I. Bogdanova

  4. Scientific Research and Clinical Institute of Radiation Medicine and Endocrinology, 220600, Minsk, Belarus

    J. Kenigsberg, E. Buglova, V. Drozdovitch & A. Golovneva

  5. Thyroid Cancer Center, 220600, Minsk, Belarus

    E. P. Demidchik

  6. Research and Technical Center Protection, 197101, St Petersburg, Russia

    M. Balonov & I. Zvonova

  7. Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Oxford, OX2 6HE, UK

    V. Beral

Authors
  1. P. Jacob
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. G. Goulko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. W. F. Heidenreich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. I. Likhtarev
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. I. Kairo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. N. D. Tronko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. T. I. Bogdanova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. J. Kenigsberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. E. Buglova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. V. Drozdovitch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. A. Golovneva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. E. P. Demidchik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  13. M. Balonov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  14. I. Zvonova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  15. V. Beral
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Jacob, P., Goulko, G., Heidenreich, W. et al. Thyroid cancer risk to children calculated. Nature 392, 31–32 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/32076

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/32076

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Search

Navigation