Radiation Effects

Few contaminants strike more fear in the hearts of adoptive parents than radiation. Everyone knows about the catastrophe at Chernobyl and most have heard of widespread contamination in areas of the former Soviet Union (e.g., Chelyabinsk, Tomsk, Krasnooyarsk, Novaya Zemlya, and Semipalatinsk) because of nuclear testing, accidents and intentional dumping of radioactive waste. Dr. Carol Wilkinson, an accelerator and particle physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the mother of a child adopted from a town 45 miles from a highly contaminated area, documented that her daughter had absorbed no measurable above-ground radiation while in Chelyabinsk. She proposes the following about the risks of radiation exposure:

For most adoptable children in Russia, even those living in contaminated areas, detectable effects from radiation are unlikely. The estimated doses for most children exposed to radiation in Russia are low, presumably below the detectable level for effects such as an increased risk of fatal cancers. The number of children receiving larger doses appears to be small. Genetic effects due to the exposure of a child’s parents to radiation have not been detected and are not expected.

Families should not be afraid to travel to Russia because of existing radiation. They will probably receive more radiation from the high-altitude plane flight than from exposure in Russia.

The one exception to this generally positive news relates to the higher incidence of thyroid cancer in children exposed to iodine following the 1986 Chernobyl reactor accident. The dose of iodine received by children younger than three years in contaminated areas exceeded that of adults by a factor of five and was 20-fold greater in evacuees than in adults. Because the dose of radiation is directly correlated with the risk of thyroid cancer, the small number of adoptees born prior to the accident should be observed with regular, careful physical examinations. If there is any question, consideration should be given to thyroid ultrasound.