Answer to Question #4871 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

We are planning to adopt a little girl in November from Khorkov, a city east of Kiev, Ukraine. Will she have been exposed to radiation in the Khorkov area? Should we have her tested for radiation when we return to the United States? What is the level of radiation in Khorkov? Where is food in that area grown? When travelling from Kiev to Khorkov, is there any specific route that we should avoid?

First, congratulations on your impending adoption of a little girl from the Ukraine. She is indeed a lucky little girl to have new parents so concerned over her welfare and her possible exposure to radiation from the Chernobyl accident. The Chernobyl accident did result in the relase of a great deal of radioactivity, but most of the radioactive species released, such as the radioactive isotopes of the noble gases and iodine, have relatively short half-lives and have long since decayed away and thus have disappeared from our environment. Two long-lived species—strontium-90 and cesium-137, with half-lives of about 30 years—can still be detected in the environment, but at levels that are not of concern from the standpoint of risk to health. We all have tiny amounts of these two radionuclides in our bodies consistent with dietary intake, and although the levels in your new daughter might be higher than those in an American child, this has little, if any, health significance. And the levels of cesium will quickly revert to the levels consistent with her new American diet.
Finally, since your new daughter was likely born some years after the accident, it is doubtful that she received an exposure from the Chernobyl accident that would be of significance from the standpoint of risk to her health. Tests are thus unnecessary, as are travel restrictions. Enjoy this new addition to your family; may you all have many years of happiness together. 

Ron Kathren, CHP