PDF copy of 2009 book

Yablokov et al.: Consequences of the Chernobyl Catastrophe 321composition of bones: osteopenia and osteoporosis).• Central nervous system (changes in frontal,temporal, and occipitoparietal lobes of thebrain, leading to diminished intelligenceand behaviorial and mental disorders).• Eyes (cataracts, vitreous destruction,refraction anomalies, and conjunctivedisorders).• Digestive tract.• Congenital malformations and anomalies(including previously rare multiple defectsof limbs and head).• Thyroid cancer (All forecasts concerningthis cancer have been erroneous;Chernobyl-related thyroid cancers haverapid onset and aggressive development,striking both children and adults. Aftersurgery the person becomes dependent onreplacement hormone medication for life.)• Leukemia (blood cancers) not only in childrenand liquidators, but in the generaladult population of contaminatedterritories.• Other malignant neoplasms.3. Other health consequences of the catastrophe:• Changes in the body’s biological balance,leading to increased numbers of seriousillnesses owing to intestinal toxicoses, bacterialinfections, and sepsis.• Intensified infectious and parasitic diseases(e.g., viral hepatitis and respiratoryviruses).• Increased incidence of health disorders inchildren born to radiated parents (both toliquidators and to individuals who left thecontaminated territories), especially thoseradiated in utero. These disorders, involvingpractically all the body’s organs andsystems, also include genetic changes.• Catastrophic state of health of liquidators(especially liquidators who worked in1986–1987).• Premature aging in both adults and children.• Increased incidence of multiple somaticand genetic mutations.4. Chronic diseases associated with radioactivecontamination are pervasive in liquidatorsand in the population living in contaminatedterritories. Among these individualspolymorbidity is common; that is, people areoften afflicted by multiple illnesses at the sametime.5. Chernobyl has “enriched” world medicinewith such terms, as “cancer rejuvenescence,” aswell as three new syndromes:• “Vegetovascular dystonia”—dysfunctionalregulation of the nervous systeminvolving cardiovascular and other organs(also called autonomic nervous system dysfunction),with clinical signs that presentagainst a background of stress.• “Incorporated long-life radionuclides”—functional and structural disorders of thecardiovascular, nervous, endocrine, reproductive,and other systems owing to absorbedradionuclides.• “Acute inhalation lesions of the upper respiratorytract”—a combination of a rhinitis,throat tickling, dry cough, difficultybreathing, and shortness of breath owingto the effect of inhaled radionuclides, including“hot particles.”6. Several new syndromes, reflecting increasedincidence of some illnesses, appearedafter Chernobyl. Among them:• “Chronic fatigue syndrome”—excessiveand unrelieved fatigue, fatigue without obviouscause, periodic depression, memoryloss, diffuse muscular and joint pains, chillsand fever, frequent mood changes, cervicallymph node sensitivity, weight loss; it is alsooften associated with immune system dysfunctionand CNS disorders.• “Lingering radiating illness syndrome”—acombination of excessive fatigue, dizziness,trembling, and back pain.• “Early aging syndrome”—a divergencebetween physical and chronological age