Chernobyl necklace

Chernobyl necklace

Chernobyl necklace is a horizontal scar left on the base of the neck after a surgery to remove a malignant thyroid gland (thyroid cancer) caused by radiation poisoning. The scar typically takes "a long time"[1] to fade, and during that time, the bearers are visually recognizable as Chernobyl victims.[2]

The term takes its name from the large number of people who suffered from thyroid cancer after the Chernobyl disaster. Some sources refer to the scar as the Belarus necklace[3] or the Belarussian Necklace,[2] in reference to the large number of thyroid cancer occurrences in the nation caused by the nuclear fallout from neighboring Ukraine. The use of the word necklace indicates its visual resemblance to the horizontal scar around the neck, but also contrasts the negative connotations of the scar with the beauty of an actual necklace made of precious metals and gems.[4]

Contents

Cause

Iodine is required by higher animals to synthesize thyroid hormones, which contain the element. Because of this function, radioisotopes of iodine are concentrated in the thyroid gland along with nonradioactive iodine. In the case of a nuclear accident, the radioactive iodine-131 (I-131), which has a high fission product yield, is released into the environment. I-131 concentrates in the thyroid, and and may cause cancer.

Treatment of thyroid cancer may require surgery.[5] The surgery may leave the patient with one or two horizontal scars at the base of the neck, dubbed the Chernobyl necklace.[4]

Occurrences

After the Chernobyl disaster, incidents of thyroid cancer among civilians in Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, and Poland have risen sharply.[3][6] It is estimated that many of those affected have the necklace, however, no statistical information of the affected population exists at this time. See the article on Chernobyl disaster effects for details.

Medical cases of the necklace are not limited to Chernobyl. US journalist Valerie Brown — who has the necklace herself, while having no connections with the Chernobyl disaster — speculates that radioactive waste from nuclear laboratories and nuclear fallout from Nevada Test Site were responsible.[1]

After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, experts including Robert Alvarez and Natalia Manzurova believe that Japan faces a similar situation: its affected population may wear the Chernobyl necklace in the future.[7] On the other hand, Carolyn Y. Johnson, of The Boston Globe, wrote that the response from Japan's government was more appropriate than Ukraine's; evacuation of residents near Fukushima and the distribution of potassium iodide pills may have decreased the amount of people affected.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b Brown, Valerie (21 March 2011). "Pawning the Chernobyl Necklace". The Phoenix Sun. http://thephoenixsun.com/archives/12642. 
  2. ^ a b Enzler, S. M. (September 2006). "Environmental disasters". http://www.lenntech.com/environmental-disasters.htm. Retrieved 18 September 2011. 
  3. ^ a b Bulisova, Gabriela (2005). "Chernobyl Revisited". Ukraine. http://gabrielabulisova.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Chernobyl-Revisited/G0000L1Q11Nk0tH0/I0000RsDOGWrwW9I. Retrieved 16 September 2011. 
  4. ^ a b Millar, Sarah (25 March 2011). "A Chernobyl scientist recalls her years spent at the plant". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/961776--a-chernobyl-scientist-recalls-her-years-spent-at-the-plant. 
  5. ^ Alford, Erika Masuda; Hu, Mimi I.; Ahn, Peter; Lamont, Jeffrey P. (25 March 2011). "Thyroid and Parathyroid Cancers". In Pazdur, Richard; Wagman, Lawrence D.; Camphausen, Kevin A.; Hoskins, William J.. Cancer Management: A Multidisciplinary Approach (13 ed.). http://www.cancernetwork.com/cancer-management-11/chapter05/article/10165/1402668. 
  6. ^ Nocera, Joe (11 July 2011). "Chernobyl’s Lingering Scars". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/12/opinion/12nocera.html?_r=4&emc=tnt&tntemail0=y. 
  7. ^ Paschyn, Christina Maria (27 April 2011). "Will Women in Japan Wear the “Chernobyl Necklace”?". Ms. Magazine Blog. http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2011/04/27/will-women-in-japan-wear-the-chernobyl-necklace/. 
  8. ^ Johnson, Carolyn Y. (16 March 2011). "Nation’s response could avert crisis like Chernobyl’s". The Boston Globe. http://articles.boston.com/2011-03-16/lifestyle/29350028_1_radiation-exposure-thyroid-cancer-chernobyl-nuclear-accident. 

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Chernobyl disaster effects — The Chernobyl disaster triggered the release of substantial amounts of radiation into the atmosphere in the form of both particulate and gaseous radioisotopes. It is the most significant unintentional release of radiation into the environment to… …   Wikipedia

  • Business and Industry Review — ▪ 1999 Introduction Overview        Annual Average Rates of Growth of Manufacturing Output, 1980 97, Table Pattern of Output, 1994 97, Table Index Numbers of Production, Employment, and Productivity in Manufacturing Industries, Table (For Annual… …   Universalium

  • Transformers: Dark of the Moon — This article is about the film. For the related toy line, see Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toy line). For the video game, see Transformers: Dark of the Moon (video game). Transformers: Dark of the Moon …   Wikipedia

  • 1990s — 90s redirects here. For decades comprising years 81–90 of other centuries, see List of decades. This article is about the decade. For the band, see 1990s (band) …   Wikipedia

  • Alias episodes (season 4) — NOTOC Authorized Personnel Only: Part 1 Original airdate: January 5, 2005 *Directed by: Ken Olin *Written by: J.J. Abrams, Jeff MelvoinThe show opens with a flashback from a scene of Sydney in hand to hand combat on a moving train. We learn that… …   Wikipedia

  • Industrial Review — ▪ 1994 Introduction       The period since 1990 was proving a difficult time for the older industrialized economies, which had suffered from prolonged recession at home, and also for the previously centrally planned economies of Eastern Europe… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”