Thirty-two years post-Chernobyl: risk perception about radiation and health effects among the young generation in Gomel, Republic of Belarus

摘要

Thirty-two years have passed since the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (CNPP). It is well known that thyroid cancer has dramatically increased among children and adolescents who were exposed to radioactive iodine released at the accident site in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine [1, 2]. In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) updated the assessment of health effects of the accident and reported that according to national studies in the three countries, more than 11 000 cases of thyroid cancer had been diagnosed by 2016 [3]. Apart from thyroid cancer, there is no scientific evidence for radiation-associated increase in any health effects, including genetic effects in residents around the CNPP. The WHO has emphasized the importance of mental health problems in these residents and the necessity of providing mental health support for these residents.