FOREWORD

 

The Chernobyl disaster has brought about a lot of grief and suffering to the people of Belarus, Ukraine, Russia. Partially it has been due to the lack of awareness about valid information how the factors of radioactive fall-out affect the human organism.

 

Release of a huge quantity of radioisotopes into the environment has placed the lives of many thousands and millions of people of the living and future generations under constant threat.

 

In order to reduce the negative effect of radiation agents upon the human organism to the minimum, profound medical research is required using the results of fundamental studies. The present publication evaluates the results achieved by the author and researchers of the Gomel Medical Institute in numerous research projects aimed at assessing the effect upon the human organism of the Chernobyl radioisotopes which contaminated the environment . The accomplished research has been based on the following methodological approaches:

 

1. Assessment of the medical and biological effects with consideration of the dose of radioisotopes incorporated by

organism.

 

2. Investigation of pathological processes clinically and by experimental simulation among laboratory animals (the clinical and experimental approach).

 

3. Investigation  of  structural,  functional  and metabolic modifications evolving in the organism, its individual organs and systems (the morphofunctional approach).

 

4. Assessment of the severity of pathological conditions, such as disorders of the integrating processes in the organism in order to combine together the pathological modifications evolving in different organs.

 

The author hopes that the treated problems will attract the medical and scientific community and will welcome with appreciation all comments and suggestions.