Effective half-lives of 134Cs and 137Cs in reindeer meat and in reindeer herders in Finland after the Chernobyl accident and the ensuing effective radiation doses to humans.

Monitoring of 137Cs in reindeer herders and in reindeer meat in Finnish Lapland began in the early 1960s and has continued until today. The monitoring of 137Cs in reindeer herders and in reindeer meat in the Halla area began after the Chernobyl accident. In this study, reindeer herders together with reindeer meat samples were monitored for gamma-emitting radionuclides from two separate areas in the Finnish reindeer management area, Northern Finland and the Halla area.

Radiation doses from global fallout and cancer incidence among reindeer herders and Sami in Northern Finland.

Objectives: People in the Arctic regions are one of the most heavily exposed population from the global fallout from atmospheric atomic bomb testing of the 1950s and 1960s due to their diet rich in reindeer meat in which radionuclides accumulate. We estimated the effect of the radioactive fallout and ethnicity on the cancer incidence in Northern Finland.

Methods: A cohort of the Arctic population in Finland (n=34,653) was identified through the Population Register Centre with grouping by reindeer herding status, ethnicity and radiation exposure.

A new handbook on triage, monitoring and treatment of people following malevolent use of radiation.

Through the Euratom 6 Framework Programme, the European Commission is co-sponsoring the specific targeted research project "Triage, Monitoring and Treatment-Handbook for management of the public in the event of malevolent use of radiation" (TMT Handbook). The main aim of the project is to produce a handbook for the effective and timely triage, monitoring, and treatment of people exposed to radiation following a malevolent act. The World Health Organization contributed to this project with development of guidelines on medical and public health response.

Internal dosimetry: towards harmonisation and coordination of research.

The CONRAD Project is a Coordinated Network for Radiation Dosimetry funded by the European Commission 6th Framework Programme. The activities developed within CONRAD Work Package 5 ('Coordination of Research on Internal Dosimetry') have contributed to improve the harmonisation and reliability in the assessment of internal doses. The tasks carried out included a study of uncertainties and the refinement of the IDEAS Guidelines associated with the evaluation of doses after intakes of radionuclides.

Coordination of research on internal dosimetry in Europe: the CONRAD project.

The EUropean RAdiation DOSimetry Group (EURADOS) initiated in 2005 the CONRAD Project, a Coordinated Network for Radiation Dosimetry funded by the European Commission (EC), within the 6th Framework Programme (FP). The main purpose of CONRAD is to generate a European Network in the field of Radiation Dosimetry and to promote both research activities and dissemination of knowledge. The objective of CONRAD Work Package 5 (WP5) is the coordination of research on assessment and evaluation of internal exposures.