Biomaterial Database

Estimates of thyroid equivalent dose in Lithuania following the Chernobyl accident. 1995

T Nedveckaite, and W Filistowicz

Laboratory of Radiation Safety, Institute of Physics, Vilnius, Lithuania.

The volatile radioiodine was detected in Lithuania in the very first days after the Chernobyl accident. The proportion of gaseous 131I species of airborne iodine identified during that period exceeded from 2 to 4 times the aerosol fraction. The radioiodine activity of milk consumed by inhabitants of Lithuania varied over a broad range. 131I activity in milk reached a peak on the fourth day after deposition and then decreased with an effective half-time ranging from 4.2 +/- 0.6 d to 5.2 +/- 0.9 d. Thyroid examinations by dosimetric teams were not available in Lithuania for reasons beyond the control of experimenters. Because of this, thyroid equivalent doses were estimated using the modified ICRP three-compartment cyclic model. These calculations applied Monte Carlo methods and consideration of regional iodine deficiency to generate frequency distributions of equivalent doses to the infant and adult thyroid gland in three areas of Lithuania with different contamination levels.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D007457	Iodine Radioisotopes	Unstable isotopes of iodine that decay or disintegrate emitting radiation. I atoms with atomic weights 117-139, except I 127, are radioactive iodine isotopes.	Radioisotopes, Iodine
D008097	Lithuania	Country in eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia, west of Belarus. The capital is Vilnius.
D008892	Milk	The off-white liquid secreted by the mammary glands of humans and other mammals. It contains proteins, sugar, lipids, vitamins, and minerals.	Cow Milk,Cow's Milk,Milk, Cow,Milk, Cow's
D008954	Models, Biological	Theoretical representations that simulate the behavior or activity of biological processes or diseases. For disease models in living animals, DISEASE MODELS, ANIMAL is available. Biological models include the use of mathematical equations, computers, and other electronic equipment.	Biological Model,Biological Models,Model, Biological,Models, Biologic,Biologic Model,Biologic Models,Model, Biologic
D009010	Monte Carlo Method	In statistics, a technique for numerically approximating the solution of a mathematical problem by studying the distribution of some random variable, often generated by a computer. The name alludes to the randomness characteristic of the games of chance played at the gambling casinos in Monte Carlo. (From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed, 1993)	Method, Monte Carlo
D011210	Power Plants	Units that convert some other form of energy into electrical energy.	Electric Power Plants,Hydroelectric Power Plants,Thermoelectric Power Plants,Electric Power Plant,Hydroelectric Power Plant,Plant, Electric Power,Plant, Hydroelectric Power,Plant, Power,Plant, Thermoelectric Power,Plants, Electric Power,Plants, Hydroelectric Power,Plants, Power,Plants, Thermoelectric Power,Power Plant,Power Plant, Electric,Power Plant, Hydroelectric,Power Plant, Thermoelectric,Power Plants, Electric,Power Plants, Hydroelectric,Power Plants, Thermoelectric,Thermoelectric Power Plant
D011829	Radiation Dosage	The amount of radiation energy that is deposited in a unit mass of material, such as tissues of plants or animal. In RADIOTHERAPY, radiation dosage is expressed in gray units (Gy). In RADIOLOGIC HEALTH, the dosage is expressed by the product of absorbed dose (Gy) and quality factor (a function of linear energy transfer), and is called radiation dose equivalent in sievert units (Sv).	Sievert Units,Dosage, Radiation,Gray Units,Gy Radiation,Sv Radiation Dose Equivalent,Dosages, Radiation,Radiation Dosages,Units, Gray,Units, Sievert
D005507	Food Contamination, Radioactive	Exposure of FOOD to radioactive substances, distinguishable from FOOD IRRADIATION, a food preservation technique.	Contamination, Radioactive Food,Radioactive Food Contamination
D006283	Health Physics	The science concerned with problems of radiation protection relevant to reducing or preventing radiation exposure, and the effects of ionizing radiation on humans and their environment.	Radiologic Physics,Physics, Radiologic,Physics, Health