Search results for "chernobyl"
showing 10 items of 25 documents
RADIONUCLIDE CONCENTRATIONS IN AIR PARTICULATE AT PALERMO (ITALY) FOLLOWING FUKUSHIMA ACCIDENT
2012
Following the Fukushima accident, a series of samplings were carried out with a daily frequency to detect the arrival of radioactive contamination in air at Palermo (Italy) and to follow its evolution during the time. Air particulate collection was performed by suction of atmospheric air through cellulose filter paper by means of a high-volume air sampler (∼15 000 m(3) d(-1)). Spectrometric analysis of the filters highlights the presence of (131)I, (134)Cs, (137)Cs and, only for a few samples, traces of (132)Te-(132)I and (136)Cs. Maximum airborne concentrations were 883 μBq m(-3) for (131)I (only particulate), 81 μBq m(-3) for (137)Cs and 70 μBq m(-3) for (134)Cs. From a dose to population…
Fitness costs of increased cataract frequency and cumulative radiation dose in natural mammalian populations from Chernobyl
2015
AbstractA cataract is a clouding of the lens that reduces light transmission to the retina and it decreases the visual acuity of the bearer. The prevalence of cataracts in natural populations of mammals and their potential ecological significance, is poorly known. Cataracts have been reported to arise from high levels of oxidative stress and a major cause of oxidative stress is ionizing radiation. We investigated whether elevated frequencies of cataracts are found in eyes of bank voles Myodes glareolus collected from natural populations in areas with varying levels of background radiation in Chernobyl. We found high frequencies of cataracts in voles collected from different areas in Chernob…
The effect of chronic low-dose environmental radiation on organ mass of bank voles in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
2020
Purpose: Animals are exposed to environmental ionizing radiation (IR) externally through proximity to contaminated soil and internally through ingestion and inhalation of radionuclides. Internal organs can respond to radioactive contamination through physiological stress. Chronic stress can compromise the size of physiologically active organs, but studies on wild mammal populations are scarce. The effects of environmental IR contamination on organ masses was studied by using a wild rodent inhabiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). Material and Methods: The masses of brain, heart, kidney, spleen, liver and lung were assessed from bank voles (Myodes glareolus) captured from areas across r…
Cancer consequences of the Chernobyl accident in Europe outside the former USSR: A review
1996
The accident which occurred during the night of April 25-26, 1986 in reactor 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukraine released considerable amounts of radioactive substances into the environment. Outside the former USSR, the highest levels of contamination were recorded in Bulgaria, Austria, Greece and Romania, followed by other countries of Central, Southeast and Northern Europe. Studies of the health consequences of the accident have been carried out in these countries, as well as in other countries in Europe. This report presents the results of a critical review of cancer studies of the exposed population in Europe, carried out on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the …
Frequency of dicentrics and contamination levels in Ukrainian children and adolescents from areas near Chernobyl 20 years after the nuclear plant acc…
2013
International audience; Purpose To survey the possible presence of chromosomal damage and internal contamination in a group of Ukrainian children and adolescents, 20 years after the Chernobyl accident at the Nuclear Power Plant. Materials and methods Cytogenetical procedures were performed according to dicentric assay in 55 Ukrainian children and adolescents (29 boys and 26 girls), living near Chernobyl. In addition, a whole body detector and urinalysis were used to detect internal contamination. Results 36 dicentrics were found in a total of 53,477 metaphases scored in these children, which reflected a frequency of dicentrics below the background level. On the other hand, internal contamin…
Exposure to environmental radionuclides associates with tissue-specific impacts on telomerase expression and telomere length
2019
International audience; Telomeres, the protective structures at the ends of chromosomes, can be shortened when individuals are exposed to stress. In some species, the enzyme telomerase is expressed in adult somatic tissues, and potentially protects or lengthens telomeres. Telomeres can be damaged by ionizing radiation and oxidative stress, although the effect of chronic exposure to elevated levels of radiation on telomere maintenance is unknown for natural populations. We quantified telomerase expression and telomere length (TL) in different tissues of the bank vole Myodes glareolus, collected from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, an environment heterogeneously contaminated with radionuclides,…
Fibroblasts from bank voles inhabiting Chernobyl have increased resistance against oxidative and DNA stresses
2018
Background Elevated levels of environmental ionizing radiation can be a selective pressure for wildlife by producing reactive oxygen species and DNA damage. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms that are affected are not known. Results We isolated skin fibroblasts from bank voles (Myodes glareolus) inhabiting the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident site where background radiation levels are about 100 times greater than in uncontaminated areas. After a 10 Gy dose of gamma radiation fibroblasts from Chernobyl animals recovered faster than fibroblasts isolated from bank voles living in uncontaminated control area. The Chernobyl fibroblasts were able to sustain significantly higher do…
Expansion of rDNA and pericentromere satellite repeats in the genomes of bank voles Myodes glareolus exposed to environmental radionuclides
2021
Abstract Altered copy number of certain highly repetitive regions of the genome, such as satellite DNA within heterochromatin and ribosomal RNA loci (rDNA), is hypothesized to help safeguard the genome against damage derived from external stressors. We quantified copy number of the 18S rDNA and a pericentromeric satellite DNA (Msat‐160) in bank voles (Myodes glareolus) inhabiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ), an area that is contaminated by radionuclides and where organisms are exposed to elevated levels of ionizing radiation. We found a significant increase in 18S rDNA and Msat‐160 content in the genomes of bank voles from contaminated locations within the CEZ compared with animals f…
Exposure to environmental radionuclides is associated with altered metabolic and immunity pathways in a wild rodent
2019
Wildlife inhabiting environments contaminated by radionuclides face putative detrimental effects of exposure to ionizing radiation, with biomarkers such as an increase in DNA damage and/or oxidative stress commonly associated with radiation exposure. To examine the effects of exposure to radiation on gene expression in wildlife, we conducted a de novo RNA sequencing study of liver and spleen tissues from a rodent, the bank vole Myodes glareolus. Bank voles were collected from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ), where animals were exposed to elevated levels of radionuclides, and from uncontaminated areas near Kyiv, Ukraine. Counter to expectations, we did not observe a strong DNA damage resp…
Applying the Anna Karenina principle for wild animal gut microbiota : temporal stability of the bank vole gut microbiota in a disturbed environment
2020
Gut microbiota play an important role in host health. Yet, the drivers and patterns of microbiota imbalance (dysbiosis) in wild animals remain largely unexplored. One hypothesised outcome of stress on animal microbiomes is a destabilised microbial community that is characterised by an increase in inter-individual differences compared with microbiomes of healthy animals, which are expected to be (i) temporally stable and (ii) relatively similar among individuals. This set of predictions for response of microbiomes to stressors is known as the Anna Karenina principle (AKP) for animal microbiomes. We examine the AKP in a wild mammal inhabiting disturbed environments by conducting a capture-mar…