SEARCHCROSS-SECTIONALepidemiology, public health

cross-sectional·epidemiology, public health, nutrition, dietetics, internal medicine·PMC10503735

Internal radiation exposure from 137 Cs and its association with the dietary habits of residents from areas affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident, Ukraine: 2016–2018

PLOS ONE · 9 authors, 6 centres

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TL;DR

It found that consuming forest foodstuffs, particularly mushrooms, was significantly associated with higher body burdens of 137Cs, and levels were highest in the winter season.

Full summary

323 CHARS

Internal 137Cs radioactivity was measured using a whole-body counter, and dietary habits were surveyed. The analysis revealed that 87% of participants consumed forest foodstuffs, and 30% had detectable internal radioactivity. A significant positive correlation was found between intake frequency and internal radioactivity.

STUDY TYPE

cross-sectional

SPECIALTY

epidemiology

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100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10503735

Internal radiation exposure from 137 Cs and its association with the dietary habits of residents from areas affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident, Ukraine: 2016–2018

PLOS ONE

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ABSTRACT

The total annual effective dose has steadily decreased since the fallout of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. However, chronic internal exposure to 137 Cs still persists and fluctuates in a complex and unpredictable manner. Recently, body contamination was found to primarily occur owing to the intake of forest foodstuffs that contain long-lived 137 Cs. Forest foodstuffs may have up to 100 times higher concentration of cesium than does local milk and meat. The present study aimed to investigate the recent dietary habits of residents in the Zhytomyr region of Ukraine, and assess the effect of the intake of forest foodstuffs on the increase in internal radioactivity from 137 Cs. We screened 1,612 participants, from July 2016 to February 2018 for internal radioactivity, using whole-body counter at Korosten Medical Center and surveyed their background and intake habits. We analyzed the association among food type, intake frequency, and internal exposure dose. The analysis revealed that nearly 90% of the participants regularly consumed one of the forest foodstuffs (mushrooms, berries, fish) or milk. Nearly 80% of the participants indicated that they consumed mushrooms or berries or both. Internal radioactivity was detected in 30% of the participants. The diet that included mushrooms exhibited the highest internal radioactivity. The lowest Bq/kg concentration was observed in the only-berry group, following the no-intake group. There was a significant correlation between the intake frequency and the magnitude of Bq/kg. Radioactivity detected in the mushroom-berry and only-mushroom group were 8.6 and 9.2 Bq/kg, respectively. The lowest and highest intake frequency showed a radioactivity of 2.4 and 7.5 Bq/kg, respectively. Radioactivity in the winter season was significantly higher than that in other seasons. In conclusion, our study revealed that internal radioactivity varies depending on the type of food, intake frequency, and season.

CITATION EXPORT

Yesbol Sartayev, Mutsumi Matsuu-Matsuyama, Izumi Yamaguchi et al.. Internal radiation exposure from 137Cs and its association with the dietary habits of residents from areas affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident, Ukraine: 2016–2018. PLOS ONE. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291498

AUTHORS

9 · 6 CENTRES

Yesbol Sartayev, Mutsumi Matsuu-Matsuyama, Izumi Yamaguchi, Jumpei Takahashi, Alexander Gutevich, Naomi Hayashida, Tim A. Mousseau, Tim A. Mousseau, Tim A. Mousseau

1 Life Sciences and Radiation Research, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
2 Division of Strategic Collaborative Research, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki, Japan
3 Ueno Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
4 Center for International Collaborative Research, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
5 Zhytomyr Inter-Area Medical Diagnostic Center, Korosten, Ukraine
University of South Carolina, UNITED STATES

EDITOR / REVIEWER

Tim A. Mousseau