№ 6 (1-4) 2004Dear colleagues!We dedicate this Special Issue of the International Journal of Radiation Medicine to an extremely important problem: radiation and psychosocial factors impact of the Chernobyl disaster and other radiation accidents on children healths. This subject was discussed at the 4-th international conference "Chernobyl children - health effects and psychosocial rehabilitation (June 2-6, 2003, Kiev, Ukraine)". Scientists and physicians of many countries, representatives of international organizations - OCHA, UNDP, WHO, UNICEF, IAEA, ICRP, national governments of the three most affected countries, and international and national non-governmental organizations participated in the conference to estimate children health damage offer exposure to ionizing irradiation and define rehabilitation strategy. Scientific research results have demonstrated again that the problem originates not only from health aftermath, but has a profound ethic aspect as regards to children. The impact Radiation damage effects to thyroid are still actual, i.e. to estimate real risks for cancer and non-cancer diseases related to the gland dysfunction through out lifetime. The genome instability problem is still open that is tightly concerned with low long-term effects for population exposed to low irradiation doses. Poverty of the affected people and continuous social stress determine many of somatic and psychological indisposition problems among the survived children in the most affected countries: the Republic of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. The International Community's humanitarian position towards the Chernobyl problems gains special actuality. It consists in defining long-time strategy for humanitarian help for the survivors. It is extremely important to co-ordinate actions of national, international, voluntary organizations and all the people of good will on resolving economic, ecological, medical and psychosocial problems of the affected children and youth. Editor-in-Chief Dr. Contents:
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Opening address of President of Ukraine L. Kuchma at the
4th International Conference "Chernobyl Children - Health
Effects and Psychosocial Rehabilitation" 