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Different methods for utilising teeth were applied for the reconstruction of internal and external doses for the population of the Techa riverside area contaminated as a result of radioactive releases from the Mayak plutonium-production facility. Information on 90Sr content in the enamel of teeth obtained from the Techa River residents has been used for the reconstruction of intakes of this nuclide. Analyses of dosimetric investigations on dental tissues performed in the Techa River region provide an understanding of the possibilities and limitations of using human teeth in retrospective dosimetry studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliable estimates of tissue doses to individuals exposed as a result of radioactive releases to the Techa River are essential prerequisites for epidemiological analyses. This paper describes progress made in collaborative studies, sponsored by the European Union, between the Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine and the UK Health Protection Agency to provide dose estimates to Techa River populations following in utero exposures and infant exposures resulting from breast-feeding. Studies have concentrated on the assessment of internal doses from 90Sr as the main contributor to internal doses to the Techa River populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A methodology was developed for reduction of uncertainties in estimates of internal dose for residents of the Techa Riverside communities, who were exposed as a result of releases of radionuclides from the Mayak plutonium production facility in 1949-56. The 'Techa River Dosimetry System' (TRDS) was specifically elaborated for reconstruction of doses. A preliminary analysis of uncertainty for doses estimated using the current version of the TRDS showed large ranges in the uncertainty of internal absorbed dose and led to suggestions of methods to reduce uncertainties. The new methodological approaches described in this paper will allow for significant reduction of uncertainties of 90Sr-dose. The major sources of reduction are: making use of individual measured values of 90Sr and through development of a Household Registry to associate unmeasured persons with measured persons living in the same household(s). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Release of liquid radioactive waste into the Techa River from the Mayak Production Association during 1949-1956 resulted in a significant exposure of about 30000 people who lived in downstream settlements. The residents were exposed to internal and external radiation. The article discusses the capability of two methods that were used 50 years after the termination of radioactive discharges for the dose reconstruction, namely EPR measurements of tooth enamel, and FISH measurements of stable chromosome aberrations in circulating lymphocytes. The Main issue in the application of these methods for the dose reconstruction was local irradiation from strontium radioisotopes incorporated in teeth and bones. The EPR and FISH assays were supported by measurements of the 90Sr content in the skeleton and teeth in order to estimate and subtract internal doses from incorporated 89, 90Sr. The resulting dose estimates obtained from EPR and FISH mea- surements were found to be consistent The settlement-averaged values in the upper-Techa Region varied from 550-570 mGy to 130-160 mGy and showed a reduction with the distance from the release site. The EPR- and FISH-based dose estimates were in agreement with the doses calculated with the dosimetry system TRDS that uses data on radionuclide contamination of the Techa River floodplain and individual residential histories.

Analysis of recently available archive materials regarding the liquid radioactive waste storage and reprocessing at the "Mayak" Production Association in 1949-1956 has led to a more accurate reconstruction of radionuclide releases into the Techa River. Radionuclide concentrations in the Techa River water, bottom sediments and floodplain soils in 1949-1951 were reconstructed with the use of a purposely-developed Techa River model. Model calculations agree with the measurements of the specific activity in the river water and bottom sediments conducted since 1951. The model output for the (90)Sr concentration in the river water shows a good agreement with the retrospective estimates derived from (90)Sr measurements in teeth and the whole body of the Techa riverside residents. Modeled (137)Cs-contamination of the floodplain shows agreement with the values reconstructed from (137)Cs measurements in the floodplain soils obtained in later years. Reconstructed contamination levels by radionuclides in the Techa River water and floodplain are being used to refine internal and external doses and risk estimates of late effects in the population chronically exposed to radiation.

A biokinetic model for strontium (Sr) for the pregnant woman and fetus (Sr-PWF model) has been developed for use in the quantification of doses from internal radiation exposures following maternal ingestion of Sr radioisotopes before or during pregnancy. The model relates in particular to the population of the Techa River villages exposed to significant amounts of ingested Sr radioisotopes as a result of releases of liquid radioactive wastes from the Mayak plutonium production facility (Russia) in the early 1950s. The biokinetic model for Sr metabolism in the pregnant woman was based on a biokinetic model for the adult female modified to account for changes in mineral metabolism during pregnancy. The model for non-pregnant females of all ages was developed earlier with the use of extensive data on (90)Sr-body measurements in the Techa Riverside residents. To determine changes in model parameter values to take account of changing mineral metabolism during pregnancy, data from longitudinal studies of calcium homeostasis during human pregnancy were analysed and applied. Exchanges between maternal and fetal circulations and retention in fetal skeleton and soft tissues were modelled as adaptations of previously published models, taking account of data on Sr and calcium (Ca) metabolism obtained in Russia (Southern Urals and Moscow) relating to dietary calcium intakes, calcium contents in maternal and fetal skeletons and strontium transfer to the fetus. The model was validated using independent data on (90)Sr in the fetal skeleton from global fallout as well as unique data on (90)Sr-body burden in mothers and their still-born children for Techa River residents. While the Sr-PWF model has been developed specifically for ingestion of Sr isotopes by Techa River residents, it is also more widely applicable to maternal ingestion of Sr radioisotopes at different times before and during pregnancy and different ages of pregnant women in a general population.

This paper presents a biokinetic model for strontium metabolism in the lactating woman and transfer to breast milk for members of Techa River communities exposed as a result of discharges of liquid radioactive wastes from the Mayak plutonium production facility (Russia) in the early 1950s. This model was based on that developed for the International Commission for Radiological Protection with modifications to account for population specific features of breastfeeding and maternal bone mineral metabolism. The model is based on a biokinetic model for the adult female with allowances made for changes in mineral metabolism during periods of exclusive and partial breast-feeding. The model for females of all ages was developed earlier from extensive data on (90)Sr-body measurements for Techa Riverside residents. Measurements of (90)Sr concentrations in the maternal skeleton and breast milk obtained in the1960s during monitoring of global fallout in the Southern Urals region were used for evaluation of strontium transfer to breast and breast milk. The model was validated with independent data from studies of global fallout in Canada and measurements of (90)Sr body-burden in women living in the Techa River villages who were breastfeeding during maximum (90)Sr-dietary intakes. The model will be used in evaluations of the intake of strontium radioisotopes in breast milk by children born in Techa River villages during the radioactive releases and quantification of (90)Sr retention in the maternal skeleton.

This article focuses on the study of (90)Sr in the tooth tissues of Techa riverside residents 60 years after intake. The Techa River was contaminated by radioactive wastes in the 1950s. Contamination of the river system, including water, bottom sediment, floodplain soil, and grass, depended on the distance from the source of releases. Therefore, the average (90)Sr intake was different in different settlements located downstream the river. An additional factor influencing (90)Sr accumulation in the teeth is the rate of tissue mineralization at the time of intake which depended on the donor's age at the time of releases. Measurements of (90)Sr concentration in various dental tissues (enamel, crown, and root dentin) of 166 teeth were performed about 60 years after the main intake using the method of thermoluminescence passive beta detection. The paper presents the current levels of tooth tissue contamination, and the tooth-to-tooth variability of (90)Sr concentration in tooth tissues was assessed for the tissues which were matured at the time of massive liquid radioactive waste releases into the Techa River. A model describing the expected levels of (90)Sr in matured dental tissues depending on age and intake has been elaborated for the population under study. The results obtained will be used for calculation of internal dose in enamel and for interpretation of tooth doses measured by means of the electron paramagnetic resonance method, among the population of the Techa River region.

The rate of cortical bone resorption was assessed from long-term in vivo measurements of (90)Sr content in the skeleton for men aged 50-80 years and for women 0-30 years after menopause. Measurements of (90)Sr were conducted with a whole body counter (WBC) for residents of the Techa Riverside communities (Southern Urals, Russia), who ingested large amounts of (90)Sr as a result of releases of liquid radioactive wastes into the river from the Mayak plutonium facility in early 1950s. The results of this study showed an increase in the rate of cortical bone resorption in both men and women, as based on the use of accidentally ingested (90)Sr as a tracer for bone metabolism. In men there was a continuous gradual increase in the rate of cortical bone resorption after 55 years from 2.8 to 4.5%/year by the age of 75 years. In women, there was a doubled increase in the rate of cortical bone resorption after menopause of up to 6%/year; then the rate remained unchanged for 10-12 years with a subsequent gradual decline down to 5-5.5%/year. Comparison of the rate of cortical bone resorption in men and women older than 55 years showed that women expressed significantly higher levels of cortical bone resorption., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Releases of radioactive materials from the Mayak Production Association in 1949-1956 resulted in contamination of the Techa River; a nuclide of major interest was 90Sr, which downstream residents consumed with water from the river and with milk contaminated by cows' consumption of river water and contaminated pasture. Over the years, several reconstructions of dose have been performed for the approximately 30,000 persons who make up the Extended Techa River Cohort. The purpose of the study described here was to derive a revised reference-90Sr-intake function for the members of this cohort. The revision was necessary because recently discovered data have provided a more accurate description of the time course of the releases, and more is now known about the importance of the pasture grass-cow-milk pathway for the members of this cohort. The fundamental basis for the derivation of the reference-90Sr-intake function remains the same: thousands of measurements of 90Sr content in bone with a special whole-body counter, thousands of measurements of beta-activity of front teeth with a special tooth-beta counter, and a variety of other measurements, including post mortem measurements of 90Sr in bone, measurements of 90Sr in cow's milk, and measurements of beta activity in human excreta. Results of the new analyses are that the major intake started in September 1950 and peaked somewhat later than originally postulated. However, the total intake for adult residents has not changed significantly. For children of some birth years, the intake and incorporation of Sr in bone tissue have changed substantially.

Bone mineral content in rib samples from Ural region residents was analyzed depending on donors' gender, age and year of birth. Bone mineral content, that reflects the mineral density, was estimated as gram of minerals per 1 kg of wet bone mass. The period of sampling and measurements covered 1958-1988, the age of donors ranged from newborn to 99 years, birth years varied from 1872 to 1984, and the total number of samples was equal to 4685. A decrease in bone mineral density during 1958-1988 period was found in groups of close ages but different years of birth indicating an existence of the secular trend. For people born before 1920, the trend was insignificant. For people born in later years, a continuous decrease in bone mineral content was observed in groups of the same ages with an average rate of 3 g/kg per year, which is about 1% per year. Longitudinal and cross-sectional studies of bone mineral density provide different estimates of age dependent rate of bone mineral loss, and these values may differ by a factor of two. Different generations, i.e. people born in different periods of the XX century, have age-dependent features of bone mineral density specific for their groups.

The operation of the Mayak Production Association in the Southern Urals region of Russia, resulted in releases of large amounts of radioactive effluent into the Techa River during the period 1949-1956. The residents of the riverside communities were thus exposed to both external radiation, and internal radiation following ingestion of contaminated water and foodstuffs. One of the most important radionuclides for internal exposure was 90Sr. This paper gives a brief overview of the models provided by International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), which are of interest for assessing internal doses from 90Sr. The application of these models to the calculation of red bone marrow doses for the fetus and infant from 90Sr intakes by the mother and the infant is illustrated by an example. A hypothetical individual born in 1951 is used as an example for dose calculations. The following doses due to intakes of 90Sr are taken into account: received in utero due to maternal intakes during pregnancy; received after birth from 90Sr accumulated by the fetus in utero; from intakes in breast milk; from intakes in the infant's diet after weaning. It is shown that doses to the fetus following maternal ingestion and subsequent transfer to the fetus via the placenta dominate the doses received for this particular individual for the first two years of life. Doses to the infant from intakes in breast milk are substantially lower but do make significant contributions to total doses in the first two years after birth. By about the age of two years residual 90Sr from placental transfer still contributes about the same dose as do intakes by the infant, but in later years doses from intakes by the infant dominate.

The Techa River Dosimetry System (TRDS) has been developed to provide estimates of dose received by approximately 30,000 members of the Extended Techa River Cohort (ETRC). Members of the ETRC were exposed beginning in 1949 to significant levels of external and internal (mainly from (90)Sr) dose but at low to moderate dose rates. Members of this cohort are being studied in an effort to test the hypothesis that exposure at low to moderate dose rates has the same ability to produce stochastic health effects as exposure at high dose rates. The current version of the TRDS is known as TRDS-2000 and is the subject of this paper. The estimated doses from (90)Sr are supported strongly by approximately 30,000 measurements made with a tooth beta-particle counter, measurements of bones collected at autopsy, and approximately 38,000 measurements made with a special whole-body counter that detects the bremsstrahlung from (90)Y. The median doses to the red bone marrow and the bone surface are 0.21 and 0.37 Gy, respectively. The maximum doses to the red bone marrow and bone surface are 2.0 and 5.2 Gy, respectively. Distributions of dose to other organs are provided and are lower than the values given above. Directions for future work are discussed.

The Mayak Production Association released large amounts of 90Sr into the Techa River with peak amounts in 1950-1951. Residents near the Techa River ingested an average of approximately 3,000 kBq of 90Sr. The affected people have been followed by scientists at the Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine. The whole-body content of 90Sr of approximately 15,000 individuals has been measured over a period of 24 years (1974-1997) using a special whole-body counter. This report evaluates the gender and age dependences of individual rates of strontium elimination. Data on persons who had been measured 12 or more times were selected for study. There were 108 men and 81 women older than 30 years who met this criterion. Individual measurement results were fitted to an exponential function and grouped mean averages of the rate of strontium elimination as a function of age for each sex were derived. For men, a significant increase (from 2.8% year(-1) to 3.2% year(-1)) in the rate of strontium elimination after age 55 years is seen. For women, the increase in the rate of elimination was significant at age 45 and reached 5.8% year(-1) after the age of 60. The results may be used to develop a gender- and age-dependent model of strontium metabolism.

The Techa River was contaminated as a result of radioactive releases by the Mayak plutonium production facility in 1949-1956. The residents of riverside communities were exposed to internal irradiation from radionuclides ingested mainly with river water, and also to external gamma irradiation resulting from shoreline and flood-plain contamination. The most important role in population exposure was played by (89,90)Sr and 137Cs. The persons born after the onset of the contamination have been identified as the 'Techa River Offspring Cohort' (TROC). The TROC has the potential to provide direct data on health effects in progeny that resulted from exposure of a general population to chronic radiation. This report describes the results of the calculation of fetal doses due to intakes of radionuclides by their mothers. Particular attention has been given to fetal dose from 90Sr because this nuclide is the most significant in terms of population dose for the Techa River. The comparison of the fetal bone marrow doses evaluated using different approaches proposed in the literature has shown a large dispersal in dose values. The main cause of this is the difference in model assumptions simplifying some developmental aspects of fetal haematopoiesis and bone formation. This paper presents an analysis of these basic assumptions that could be useful for further improvements in fetal dosimetry.

A whole body counter (WBC) designed to measure bremsstrahlung from 90Y, the short-lived daughter of 90Sr, has been used since 1974 to measure 90Sr-body burdens in residents along the Techa River, which was contaminated by releases from the Mayak Production Association. Bayes' rule has been applied to the a posteriori WBC data in order to derive the uncertainties associated with the data: The lower limit of reliable detection is 2.0 kBq and the uncertainty of routine measurements is 1.6 kBq.

Massive releases of fission products from the plutonium facility Mayak (Southern Urals, Russia) resulted in the contamination of the Techa river and its floodlands (1949-1956). The results of long-term studies of exposure populations have been used for different purposes of retrospective dosimetry. The riverside residents were exposed via various pathways and their progeny were exposed in utero both to external radiation and to internal radiation from radionuclides ingested by the mothers prior to conception and during pregnancy. Fetal doses due to 90Sr from the maternal skeleton were estimated and compared with doses from other pathways. Individual red bone marrow (RBM) doses to the late fetuses were calculated on the basis of 90Sr contents measured in the maternal skeleton and the 90Sr transfer coefficients (TC) to the fetal skeleton were determined on the basis of the Techa river data. Two values of TC were assumed depending on the mothers' maturation status in the period of maximum releases: TC=0.2 for group 1 (adulthood of mothers in 1950) and TC=0.02 for group 2 (mothers not yet in menarche age in 1950). Fetal doses in both groups that resulted from the different TC values varied by a factor of about 5-8. Furthermore, the fetal RBM doses due to 90Sr from the maternal skeleton were found to depend on the distances from the site of release and the time after major 90Sr intake. The average fetal RBM doses in the population of the upper, middle and lower Techa riverside regions were close to the ratio 3:2:1 and 20 years after the onset of contamination, the fetal doses have decreased by a factor of about 3-5. The distance from the site of release determined the relative contribution of different pathways to the fetal dose. For the settlements that are located closest to the site of release, the external exposure was of major concern up to the date of evacuation. For the non-evacuated settlements, the contribution of internal doses was higher and after 1956, external exposure is assumed to be negligible. From 1956 on, 90Sr that has been transferred from the maternal skeleton was practically the single source of in utero exposure.

People living on the banks of the Techa river were exposed to 90Sr in the early 1950s. Data obtained by radiochemical measurements of extracted permanent teeth, 90Sr autopsy measurements in bone and tooth samples, in vivo measurements of surface beta activity of the anterior teeth and whole-body counter (WBC) measurements of 90Sr in the skeleton have been analyzed. Surface beta activity measurements indicate a biological half-life of 90Sr of about 35 years in enamel. The WBC measurements have been performed since 1974 and a model for the age-dependent strontium retention in human bone has been used to extrapolate to previous time periods when the other measurement results were obtained. For the first decade after the intake, the ratio of the 90Sr concentrations in teeth and bones were found to decrease with age at the time of major intake, from about 10 for 1-year-old children to about 0.3 for adults. There was a considerable variability of individual data within each age group. For adults, the correlation between 90Sr in skeleton and teeth was not high at 0.47 according to radiochemical data for posterior teeth (molars and premolars) and 0.43 according to measurements of surface beta activity for anterior teeth. For children and adolescents there was no correlation between individual measurements in the skeleton and teeth. The absorbed dose in enamel due to 90Sr in dentine has been calculated by Monte Carlo simulations of the electron transport. The results are in agreement with EPR measurements of the absorbed dose in the enamel of persons exposed, mainly due to 90Sr ingestion.

The Mayak Production Association (MPA) was the first facility in the former Soviet Union for the production of plutonium. Significant worker and population exposures occurred as a result of failures in the technological processes in the late 1940's and early 1950's. Residents of many villages downstream on the Techa River were exposed via a variety of pathways; the more significant included drinking of water from the river and external gamma exposure due to proximity to contaminated bottom sediment and shoreline. After the extent of the major contamination of the Techa River became known, several villages on the upper part of the Techa River were evacuated. Organ doses are being reconstructed on the basis of derivation of an historical source term and a simple river model used to simulate the transport of radionuclides downstream and their retention on sediments; measurements of 90Sr content in teeth and the whole body of half of the members of the cohort; and development of the "Techa River Dosimetry System" for computation of the doses.

The Mayak Production Association, which began operation in 1948, was the first facility in the former Soviet Union for the production of plutonium. Significant worker and population exposure occurred as a result of failures in the technological processes in the late 1940's and early 1950's. Members of the public were exposed via discharge of about 1017 Bq of liquid wastes into the Techa River during 1949-1956, an explosion in the radioactive waste-storage facility in 1957, and gaseous aerosol releases within the first decades of the facility's operation. Residents of many villages downstream on the Techa River were exposed via a variety of pathways; the more significant included drinking of water from the river and external gamma exposure due to proximity to sediments and shoreline. The specific aim of this project is to enhance the reconstruction of external and internal radiation doses for individuals in the Extended Techa River Cohort. The purpose of this paper is to present the details of the methods that are being used in this enhanced dose-reconstruction effort and to provide example and representative results of the calculations. The methods of dose assessment currently being developed for the exposed population [termed the Techa River Dosimetry System-2000 (TRDS-2000)], which are a significant improvement on past methods (TRDS-1996), are presented. The new TRDS-2000 doses from the ingestion of radionuclides are substantially higher for the gastrointestinal tract, due to consideration of short-lived radionuclides. The TRDS-2000 doses from external exposure are substantially lower due to improvements in several factors. Assessment of uncertainty and validation of the "new" doses are significant issues currently under investigation.

Radioactive contamination of the environment occurred in the early fifties as a result of the releases from the Mayak plutonium production complex (Southern Urals, Russia). The releases of liquid wastes into the Techa river resulted in chronic exposure of 30,000 residents of the riverside communities. Since 1951 90Sr body burdens have been measured for over half of this cohort. This paper presents the analysis of data on 90Sr in humans and describes the reconstruction of internal doses for these people.

Measurements of 90Sr in human bone of inhabitants of the Techa river region were started in 1951, and since 1974 the Techa river population has been studied with a whole-body counter. One of the dosimetric tasks that could be decided using data on 90Sr measurements is direct evaluation of strontium transfer to the fetus from the maternal skeleton. Six cases were selected for which 90Sr measurements were available both for stillborn infants and their mothers. The ratio of 90Sr concentrations in fetal bone to maternal bone for the year of pregnancy has been evaluated. Two clusters of values were found and the difference between clusters could be explained by age-dependent features of maternal bone formation and remodelling. When the mother's 90Sr intake occurred in the period of intensive compact bone growth, the transfer coefficient was very low (0.012-0.032). If 90Sr ingestion occurred during the woman's reproductive age, the transfer to fetus was equal to 0.21-0.26.

Age and sex features of strontium metabolism have been analyzed on studies of the population residing on the banks of the Techa river which was contaminated by fission products during the years 1949-1956. Measurements of 90Sr body burden have been performed since 1974 using a whole-body counter, and these have made it possible to estimate age-specific long-term retention and elimination rates for men and women. Regarding the retention that correlated with the respective maturation ages, distinct sex differences have been observed for adolescents, whereas only postmenopausal women showed a sharp increase of their elimination rates. There were no differences concerning the reproductive ages. Our experimental findings have a clear physiological interpretation and can be used to develop metabolic models for bone-seeking radionuclides.