Thyroid ultrasound findings in young and middle-aged adults living in the region of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant

Sep 22, 2026

Nearly forty years after the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident, internal exposure to iodine-131 increased childhood and adolescent thyroid cancers, prompting major concern following the Fukushima Daiichi accident. This correspondence evaluates, from 2019 to 2021, ultrasound screening results for residents in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, using the Fukushima Health Management Survey classification (A1, A2, and B). Among 2,978 participants, “B” findings rose with age, suggesting increased detection of both malignant and benign nodules.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Methods

Radiation and Environmental Biophysics (2024) 63:465–468 [https://doi.org/10.1007/s0041](https://doi.org/10.1007/s0041) 1-024-01083-2 CORRESPONDENCE Thyroid ultrasound findings in young and middle-aged adults living in the region of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant Aizhan Zabirova1 · Alexsey Saiko2 · Makiko Orita1 · Fumihiko Furuya3 · Shunichi Yamashita4 · Noboru Takamura1 Received: 17 November 2023 / Accepted: 6 July 2024 / Published online: 20 July 2024 © The Author(s) 2024 Abstract Nearly forty years have passed since the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident, which resulted in childhood and adolescent thyroid cancers increasing due to internal exposure to iodine-131 . Therefore, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident, in 2011, raised serious anxiety about potential risks of thyroid cancers. Considering the causal relationship between thyroid cancer and the Chornobyl accident, radiation dose to the thyroid due to this accident should be considered carefully. In addition, a thorough investigation of any influence of ultrasound screening of the thyroid on the detection of thyroid diseases was still missing. Consequently, from 2019 to 2021, the frequency of abnormal thyroid findings from screening of residents in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, which was heavily contaminated by the accident, was evaluated in this study. For this, the same diagnostic classification of any thyroid ultrasound findings as those of the Fukushima Health Management Survey were used. This classification used the categories “A1”(no findings),“A2”(thyroid cysts less than 20 mm and/or thyroid nodules less than 5 mm), and “B”(thyroid cysts more than 20 mm and/or thyroid nodules more than 5 mm) . 2,978 participants were analyzed. It was found that the frequency of “B” findings increased with age. This may be due to the observed increased incidence of not only malignant but also benign thyroid nodules. It may well be that such an increase will also be observed in Fukushima in the future. It is concluded that future thyroid examinersin Fukushima should be aware of findings specific to adults, such as chronic thyroiditis. For comparison, it will be necessary to perform longitudinal studies in the Japanese population not exposed to radiation from the Fukushima accident. Keywords Thyroid screening · 131I · Ultrasound Introduction Nearly forty years have passed since the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (CNPP) accident on 26 April 1986. The main consequence of the exposure of the population to 131I released due to the accident was a significant increase of 􀀍 Makiko Orita[orita@nagasaki-u.ac.jp](orita@nagasaki-u.ac.jp) 1 Department of Global Health, Medicine and Welfare, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan 2 Zhitomir Inter-Area Medical Diagnostic Center, Korosten, Ukraine 3 Department of Thyroid and Endocrinology, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan 4 Global Exchange Center, Advanced Clinical Research Center, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan thyroid cancer in children and adolescents, which was correlated to the radiation dose (UNSCEAR 2011) . Therefore, in Japan the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) accident of March 11, 2011, raised considerable public concern and serious anxiety about the potential health risks of thyroid cancers. More generally, the so-called“second coming of Chornobyl,” in Fukushima led to such fears worldwide even though the thyroid doses in affected areas of Japan were significantly lower than those in regions affected after the CNPP accident (UNSCEAR 2022) . Consequently, within the framework of the Fukushima Health Management Survey (FHMS), which is being conducted in the Fukushima Prefecture to monitor the overall health conditions of Fukushima residents, those who were less than 18 years old at the time of the Fukushima accident had been evaluated with thyroid ultrasound examinations (Yasumura

FAQs

What was the main purpose of this study regarding thyroid ultrasound screening?

To evaluate the frequency of abnormal thyroid ultrasound findings detected in residents from Zhytomyr, Ukraine, and clarify potential impacts relevant to thyroid cancer detection after nuclear accidents.

What classification categories were used for thyroid ultrasound findings?

The study used Fukushima Health Management Survey categories: “A1” (no findings), “A2” (smaller cysts and/or nodules), and “B” (larger cysts and/or nodules).

How did the frequency of “B” category findings change across ages?

The frequency of “B” findings increased with age in the screened participants.

What comparison or future research is suggested for Fukushima?

Future thyroid examiners in Fukushima should recognize adult-specific findings such as chronic thyroiditis, and longitudinal studies in the Japanese population not exposed to Fukushima radiation are needed.

Sep 22, 2026

Upload by Theodore