[Before and after Chernobyl Accident (Memoirs, Researches Hypotheses)].

Abstract

In the first part of the article the results of studies performed in the 1970-1980s on the progeny of irradiated animals (drosophila, mouse, rat) are presented. It was found that except severe disorders in this progeny named non target genetic radiation effects were observed (genome instability, increased cancer risk, impaired fitness) which were similar to the late somatic radiation effects. The hypothesis on the likeness of pathogenic nature of somatic and genetic effects of ionizing radiation was proposed. Comparison of effects of parental irradiation in humans and animals gave reason to propose that the frequency of severe disorders observed in the progeny (stillbirth, birth defects etc.) depends on the reproductive potential of a species. In the second part of the article the reminiscences on the author's work in Chernobyl in 1987 are presented. The last part is devoted to description of the main results, obtained in the post Chernobyl period in the frames of various national and international projects.