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Health effects as a result of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant occurred in 1986 are considered in the paper. Wrong prognosis of the health effects with respect to mortality and morbidity among the population exposed to low radiation doses is shown. Proven increase in thyroid cancer cases among people who were children aged from 0 to 18 at the time of the accident is shown. Linear relationship between thyroid cancer cases and dose to thyroid ranged from 0.2 to 4.0 Gy is considered. An additional absolute risk of thyroid cancer in children varies in the range 1.9-2.6 cases per 10(4) person-year Gy. During the fifteen years following the accident no cases of acute and chronic radiation sickness have been revealed because the population living in contaminated areas received low radiation doses. Also, exposures to low radiation doses did not result in excess of malignant tumors among population. In some cases the outcomes of acute radiation sickness were as follows: radiation damages to the skin, cancer cataracts, development of oncopathology.

The formation of aerosols over the radioactive polluted areas results from some natural and industrial factors. In this paper physico-chemical characteristics of secondary aerosols generated by the Chernobyl accident are presented. The results of monitoring of the aerosol from traffic, dust storms and forest fires in 30-km zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and other regions are compared. Some methodical aspects of the sampling and analyses of aerosols are considered. The recommendations for choice of the personal respirators are given.

Results on determination of radial (linear) growth rate of melanin-containing fungi Cladosporium sphaerospermum Penz. and Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissler concerning place of their isolation and ecologic peculiarities are presented in the paper. Essential differences, as to all studied indices of the strains of C. sphaerospermum strains, isolated from premices of the ChNPP 4th unit from the control strains of this species have been established. Only strain 34 of C. sphaerospermum, isolated from the cable driving region of the "Shelter" object, which did not differ from the control strains as to all the studied indices, made the exception. The radial growth rate was 2-4 times as low and variability amplitude 10-30 times as high in strains 60 and 5-1 of C. sphaerospermum, (which suffered high radiation load), as in the control strains of this species. The radial growth rate of C. sphaerospermum studied strains was an order lower as a whole than that of A. alternata strains. All the above said evidence for implementation of K-type vital strategy by C. sphaerospermum species and in this connection one can suppose its active growth on the surface of walls and ferroconcrete structures of the ChNPP 4th unit. Absence of differences, as to the studied radial growth indices, between A. alternata strains isolated from the ChNPP 4th unit premices and control strains of the species can evidence for the existence of A. alternata species under the conditions of high radioactivity in the surviving state.

The role of external beta-radiation as one of the major radiation factors effected persons involved in recovery operations (liquidators) after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is considered. The paper uses the data of discriminate individual dosimetric monitoring of beta- and gamma-radiation for different groups of liquidators and experimentally received dose distribution in tissue equivalent material in the places of carrying out work. The results obtained by calculation were also used. It was established that experimentally determined ratios of beta-radiation doses to gamma-radiation doses have a good correlation with estimates resulted by calculation. It allowed the authors to use these estimates and individual gamma-radiation dose distribution for drawing histograms of individual beta-radiation dose distribution for open parts of skin, for lens, and gonads in cases of liquidators involved in building "sarcophagus". The obtained estimates of individual doses in the near surface tissue and organs exceeds significantly exposure levels for the whole body. This fact should draw the special attention to the rise in the number of radiation-induced cancer and cataracts.

The paper presents the general results from the 10-year (1986-1996) studies on radioecology and radiobiology conducted in the region affected by radiation after the accident at the Chernobyl NPP. The regularities of radionuclide migration along the trophic chains, as well as effect of ionising radiation on biota in its habitat are described. The protective measures are reported aimed at mitigating consequences of the accident for the environment. The paper also presents the main findings of studies on agricultural radioecology with taking into account the importance of radionuclide turnover in agrosphere and implementation of countermeasures in the agro-industrial production.

The paper discusses the approaches and scientific and organizational principles used in the development of some International research projects in the study of consequences of the Chernobyl accident, which are under way by Russia's Ministry of Science and Engineering Policy. Special attention is given to sociomedical aspects and the possibilities of defining an individual medical policy while working with the liquidators and the members of their families.

The paper presents morphological, morphometric and densitometric evidence obtained on cytoplasmic inclusions of alveolar macrophages from bronchoalveolar lavage of chronic obstructive bronchitis (COB) sufferers. All of them previously worked in the zone contaminated after the Chernobyl accident. The control consisted of nonexposed to radiation COB patients. In the exposed subjects alveolar macrophages were more active, 20% of cytoplasm was occupied by numerous phagolysosomes varying in form. Their densitometric evaluation has been performed. Further bronchoalveolar lavages will be conducted to follow up the above changes in alveolar macrophages.

The paper describes processing of peripheral blood screening based on methods of mathematical statistics and partially ordered sets theory. This allows global assay of individual and populational blood, assessment of borderline conditions by introduction of global criterion. The above methodology was tried to analyze data obtained at screening of peripheral blood from children living in radionuclide-contaminated regions. The most considerable contribution to region-specific populational differences belongs to red cells, monocytes, band neutrophils, eosinophils. Hemogram deterioration in children and adolescents seems to result rather from chemical pollution and social factors than radiation effect (in doses not high than 2.2 rem a year).

The paper reports on the preliminary experience of treatment of those patients having been the victims to the reactor accident at the Chernobyl NPP as well as of those with acute and chronic leukoses, having received courses of modern cytostatic therapy. The patients were exposed to therapeutic plasmapheresis and enterosorption as part of a complex conventional treatment programme. The conclusion the authors have come to is as follows: enterosorption strikingly reduces manifestations of "cytostatic disease"; the use of plasmapheresis in those persons having been previously exposed to small dose chronic radiation, makes for improvement of clinical and laboratory values but further studies are warranted to determine indications for therapeutic plasmapheresis.

The paper deals with mycobiota of radionuclide-polluted soils of seven stationary posts in the 30-kilometer zone of the Chernobyl NPP and one in the vicinities of Kiev (Feofaniia). The lengths of light-and dark-coloured fungal mycelium were determined in the soil under study by the method of membrane filters for 1987-1989. Data obtained have been analyzed with the account of the radioactivity level of the soil samples, season and depth of the sampling horizon. The dynamics of mycelium content in soils has been traced which evidences for its seasonal changes and prevalence of dark-pigmented mycelium at the beginning which then was changed by predominance of light-coloured mycelium. It is supposed that radioactive contamination of soil is one of considerable components of the whole complex of ecological factors which determine the dynamics of fungal mycelium content in soil.

The paper describes the image of radiation menace. Basic differences in image parameters are revealed for some population groups. The psychological levels of the image are regarded as psychosocial phenomena. Some specific psychological consequences of mental regression are outlined in the paper.

This paper presents the results of radioecological studies undertaken within the area exposed to ionizing radiation after Chernobyl disaster. Conclusions are made concerning the major regularities in radionuclide migration within various natural media and action of ionizing radiation on natural and artificial ecosystems. The efficiency of basic protective ecological measures in eliminating the accident consequences has been determined. The contribution of radioecological studies to the elimination of Chernobyl disaster sequences assessed.

The paper reports a new technique of obtaining radioactive Cs-free meat in the regions contaminated with radionuclides as a result of Chernobyl accident. The method is based on specific digestion features of ruminant animals. Ferriferrocyanide compounds are proposed as sorbents. Ferrocene is most efficient when introduced into mixed feed (1-3 g/day for sheep, 3-5 g/day for calves and young bulls) once a day. After that the animals can be fed radioactively contaminated forage and graze on contaminated land.

The paper is concerned with the results of therapy of 115 patients with acute radiation syndrome after the Chernobyl accident. The chief methods of the effective therapy of bone marrow syndrome are antimicrobial drugs and fresh donor platelet mass transfusions. Hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (allogenic bone marrow or embryonic hepatocytes) is indicated and effective in a very limited number of patients in accident irradiation. Severe beta-burns of the skin remain an unsolved problem as a result of their spreading. Organizational principles of therapy of a great number of patients with acute radiation syndrome in a specialized hospital were described.

The paper is concerned with analysis of the data on a picture of the blood of 115 patients with acute radiation syndrome. Basing on the literature data, the authors discuss a possibility of developing leukemia in these patients and in persons, irradiated at lower doses, as a result of radiation affection of hemopoiesis.

The paper is concerned with analysis of strategy of the regulation of radiation exposure of the population and the practical use of the levels of intervention in different phases after the Chernobyl accident. The author represents data on the levels of whole-body irradiation of the population in the areas under strict control, and dose exposure of the thyroid in children and adults. Mean individual and collective doses of whole-body irradiation over the period of 1986-1989 and predictable dose exposures were assessed. Some data on probable pathology of radiation genesis in the population in affect on 1990 were considered.

The paper is concerned with the results of neurological examination of 113 patients who developed acute radiation sickness of various degrees of severity during the elimination of the effects of the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station. A clinical picture of neurological disorders at different periods of ARS was described. CNS specific and nonspecific lesions were defined.