[Dna repair activity in children exposed to small doses of ionizing radiation as a result of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station].

The repair activity of DNA was studied by variola vaccine virus reactivation and induced mutagenesis tests in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of children living in areas with an increased level of ionizing radiation due to breakdown at the Chernobyl' nuclear power station. A more profound repair disturbance was revealed in children living on strictly controlled territories and born after the disaster, compared to those born before it, and children living in areas where the radiation level does not exceed background values. The disturbances were characterized by increased induced mutagenesis and decreased reactivation of the variola vaccine virus. No changes in the degree of DNA repair synthesis were registered in any of the groups studied.