The probable sequelae of thyroid damage from radioactive iodine during the Chernobyl accident

An important peculiarity of the Chernobyl catastrophe is the discharge into the atmosphere of tremendous amount of radioactive iodine and, as a result, selective damage of the thyroid in children from the affected areas. The most dangerous consequence is the thyroid cancer. The analysis of the situation when children's thyroids were subjected to irradiation shows that tumors can most frequently develop as late as 20-30 years after irradiation. There are reasons to believe that tumors are induced by low dose of irradiation. The most important factor in development of pathologies is for sure the age of the children of the moment of irradiation. A well-known consequence of the impact of radiation on the thyroid is the lymphocyte thyroiditis. The interest to this pathology is determined by the fact that it substantially increases the probability of development of various haematologic diseases (lympho- and myeloproliferative neoplasms).