What effects does low-level radiation have on human health?
The topic of low-level radiation plays an important role in the debate on the health effects of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The question whether radiation at low doses – millionths of a sievert – can give rise to genetic mutations and disease remains controversial. The issue is nevertheless significant since, as a consequence of Chernobyl, millions of people will continue to be exposed to such doses of radiation, and higher doses, for decades to come. Exposure of the population to radioactive cesium and strontium takes place predominantly through consumption of ratioactive food staff. In the severely contaminated areas of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, people are currently exposed to between 6 and 11 mSv per year. The three affected countries developed different norms for allowable levels of the radionucleids content in food. Thus, while the norms for cesium in milk are identical – 100 becquerel per 1 kg, those for strontium vary: 3,7 in Belarus, 20 in Ukraine and 25 in the Russian F
