Estimation of radiation risks of respiratory diseases in liquidators of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident consequences taking into account the influence of other diseases detected in them during the observation periodv

«Radiation and Risk», 2025, vol. 34, No. 2, pp.21-38

DOI: 10.21870/0131-3878-2025-34-2-21-38

Authors

Chekin S.Yu. – Head of Lab. Contacts: 4 Korolyov str., Obninsk, Kaluga region, Russia, 249035. Tel.: (484) 399-32-60; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Maksioutov M.A. – Head of Dep., C. Sc., Tech.
Karpenko S.V. – Engineer
Gorski A.I. – Lead. Researcher, C. Sc., Tech.
Tumanov K.A. – Head of Lab., C. Sc., Biol.
Shchukina N.V. – Sen. Researcher
Zelenskaya N.S. – Researcher
Kochergina E.V. – Head of Lab., C. Sc., Med. A. Tsyb MRRC.
A. Tsyb MRRC, Obninsk

Abstract

The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has repeatedly drawn attention to the practical importance of assessments of radiation-related harm to human health associated with tissue reactions. The aim of this study is to assess radiation risks of respiratory diseases in the range of low and medium doses (up to 1.5 Gy). In the Russian cohort of 87407 liquidators of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, observed in the National Radiation Epidemiological Registry (NRER) system in 1986-2023, 65818 cases of respiratory diseases and 2230 deaths from respiratory diseases were first detected. The average absorbed dose of whole-body external gamma irradiation accumulated by the liquidators during their work was 0.133 Gy, the maximum dose was 1.5 Gy, and the average age at the beginning of exposure was 33.5 years. A statistically significant (p<0.001) estimate of the excess relative risk coefficient ERR/Gy=0.21 was obtained for the incidence of respiratory diseases within the linear non-threshold (LNT) model of radiation risk. Estimates of relative radiation risks (RR) in dose intervals show that in this long-term study, the observed dose threshold for the incidence of respiratory diseases is 0.15 Gy, which is 43 times lower than the ICRP dose threshold of 6.5 Gy for acute radiation injury to the respiratory system in the first months after lung irradiation. Among liquidators with diagnoses of other neoplasms (falling within the ICD-10 code range D00-D48), the LNT model of radiation risk of respiratory diseases with ERR/Gy=0.50 is well supported by non-parametric RR estimates. There were no radiation risks of respiratory diseases mortality in the studied cohort. In the range of low and medium doses (up to 1.5 Gy) radiation-induced respiratory diseases have significant properties of remote stochastic effects. Further accumulation of data in the NRER system will make it possible to study the characteristics of respiratory diseases peculiar to late tissue reactions (progressive course of diseases, increase of their severity with dose and dependence on the health of the organism as a whole).

Key words
radiation risk, Chernobyl accident, liquidators, respiratory diseases, morbidity, mortality, tissue responses, stochastic effects, linear non-threshold model, excess relative risk, relative risk, dose threshold, radiobiology, public health.

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