Chrnobyl fallout: Salzburg (Austria) 

Scenario 

     Chernobyl NPP accident (26 April 1986) caused widespread radioactive contamination in Western European countries. Salzburg province in Austria was one of the areas with the highest fallout deposition. Before the accident, the mean annual dose to the blood of average Salzburg citizens has been estimated to be 0.9 mGy/year, including external terrestrial radiation doses and internal doses of radionuclides. After Chernobyl accident, additional mean external and internal dose during the first year (1 May 1986 to 1 May 1987) for an average Salzburg citizens was assessed at 0.32±0.10 mGy/year and for high-risk persons (e.g., farmers) 1.0±0.30 mGy/year.

     Blood samples were obtained in 1987 from 16 volunteer Salzburg citizens (7 in 9 June 1987, and 9 in 27 July 1987) (Series II). In addition, blood samples taken from two Sarzburg citizens before the accident (1984, 1985), and post-Chernobyl years, 1987, 1988 and 1990 (Series I), were compared. 

Reference 

     Pohl-Rüling, J., Haas, O., Brogger, A., Obe, G., Letter, H., Daschil, F., Atzmüller, C., Lloyd, D., Kubiak, R. and Natarajan, A. T. (1991): The effect on lymphocyte chromosomes of additional radiation burden due to fallout in Salzburg (Austria) from the Chernobyl accident. Mutation Res., 262:209-217. 

Chromosome aberration analysis 
 
Person* Age Sex Sampling No. of 137Cs+134Cs Chromosome aberrations** in 100 cells
(year) (year) cells (mGy/year) Dics Rings Del(int) Del(ter)
Series I
A 40 F 1984, 1985 1,314 - 0 0 1 2
B 26 M 1984, 1985 2,956 - 3 0 3 2
A 40 F 1987 1,716 0.124 6 7 4 17
B 26 M 1987 1,191 0.239 6 5 0 11
A 40 F 1988 256 0.037 1 0 0 0
B 26 M 1988 500 0.095 3 0 0 3
A 40 F 1990 1,619 0.011 0 0 4 5
B 26 M 1990 805 0.031 1 0 0 5
Series II
1 69 F 1987 1,370 0.013 5 2 0 9
2 69 F 1987 1,365 0.077 1 7 0 6
3 41 M 1987 2,126 0.103 7 1 0 27
4 51 F 1987 418 0.118 0 0 3 0
5 27 F 1987 683 0.139 2 2 0 3
6=A 40 F 1987 1,716 0.142 5 7 4 17
7 57 F 1987 510 0.151 1 0 2 9
8 65 M 1987 186 0.229 0 0 0 2
9=B 26 M 1987 1,191 0.239 6 5 0 11
10 62 F 1987 328 0.263 0 0 1 5
11 49 M 1987 2,142 0.267 4 2 1 20
12 44 M 1987 2,050 0.367 6 1 1 18
13 65 M 1987 144 0.387 0 0 0 1
14 24 M 1987 164 0.388 0 0 0 1
15 53 M 1987 736 0.399 1 1 6 10
16 63 M 1987 481 0.492 0 0 3 6
*) Seies I: Two volunteers (A and B) from Salzburg city sampling before and after the Chernobyl accident.
Series II: Sixteen volunteers sampled one year after the accident. The volunteers, A and B, are also included.
**) Dics: dicentrics. Rings: centric and acentric rings. Del(int): interstitial deletions. Del(ter): terminal deletions.