Analysis of the Impact of Radiation Diffusion on the Human Body: From the Lessons of Chernobyl to Contemporary Challenges
Abstract
Purpose. A comprehensive study of the mechanisms of radiation diffusion's impact on the human body, an analysis of pathophysiological changes based on the experience of the Chernobyl disaster, and the development of recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of protective systems.
Мethod. The study integrates radiobiology, systems analysis, and military toxicology to examine radionuclide mass transfer. The methodology is based on a comprehensive analysis of pathophysiological changes and a retrospective study of the Chernobyl disaster’s medical consequences. A systems approach links physical migration parameters with clinical radiation indicators. The findings are verified by radiation accident response experience, providing a basis for enhancing decontamination and personnel protection in modern environments.
Findings. The research results confirm that radionuclide migration in biological tissues significantly depends on the concentration gradient and the structural characteristics of cellular membranes. It is proven that isotope accumulation leads to profound pathophysiological changes, including disruption of metabolic processes and genomic integrity. A retrospective analysis of the Chernobyl disaster’s consequences confirmed a correlation between the intensity of diffusion processes and the risk of developing chronic pathologies. It was determined that decontamination effectiveness directly depends on the promptness of implementing systemic protective measures that minimize internal radiation exposure through food chains and inhalation pathways. The study justifies the need to update radiation safety protocols to account for modern technological threats.
Theoretical implications. The theoretical value of the study lies in deepening scientific understanding of radionuclide migration mechanisms within biological environments. The work expands the theoretical framework of radiobiology and military toxicology by integrating physical and mathematical mass transfer models with the analysis of pathophysiological body reactions. The established systems approach allows for a more profound justification of the patterns underlying long-term medical consequences of radiation exposure. Furthermore, the research provides a theoretical foundation for improving decontamination methodology by adapting the retrospective lessons of the Chernobyl disaster to modern technological and military security challenges.
Paper type. Analitic.
Downloads
References
Fick, A. (1855). On diffusion. Annalen der Physik. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/andp.18551700105
Darken, L. S. (1948). Diffusion and mobility. Transactions of the AIME. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02670941
Nastar, M., & Soisson, F. (2012). Radiation-induced segregation. In Comprehensive Nuclear Materials (Vol. 1, pp. 453–481). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-056033-5.00015-8
Ministerstvo okhorony zdorovia Ukrainy. (2022). Nadannia medychnoi dopomohy pry urazhenni khimichnymy ahentamy: Metodychni rekomendatsii [Provision of medical care in case of chemical exposure]. Kyiv.
International Atomic Energy Agency. (2018). Protection of the public in the event of a nuclear or radiological emergency (GSG-11). Vienna.
Mechanisms of radiation-induced genomic instability and bystander effects. (2025). Radiation Research, 203(4), 312–335. https://doi.org/10.1667/RR2025
United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. (2021). Sources and effects of ionizing radiation: UNSCEAR 2020/2021 report (Vol. I). United Nations.
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. (2023). Handbook on irritants and toxic industrial chemicals (chlorine, ammonia). The Hague: Technical Secretariat.
World Health Organization. (2023). National stockpiles for radiological and nuclear emergencies: Policy advice. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240067875
Derzhavna sluzhba Ukrainy z nadzvychainykh sytuatsii. (2022). Metodychni rekomendatsii shchodo orhanizatsii radiatsiinoho ta khimichnoho sposterezhennia v umovakh voiennoho stanu [Methodical recommendations on the organization of radiological and chemical monitoring under martial law]. Kyiv.
LB.ua. (2022, April 7). Okupanty i “Rudyi lis”: Yaki naslidky dlia zdorovia zaharbnykiv matyme perebuvannia v zoni vidchuzhennia [Occupiers and the “Red Forest”: Health consequences of staying in the exclusion zone]. https://lb.ua/society/2022/04/07/512613_okupanti_i_rudiy_lis_naslidki.html
International Commission on Radiological Protection. (2007). The 2007 recommendations of the ICRP (Publication 103). Sage.
United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. (2011). Sources and effects of ionizing radiation: UNSCEAR 2008 report. United Nations.
World Health Organization. (2006). Health effects of the Chernobyl accident and special health care programmes. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9241594179
Natsionalna komisiia z radiatsiinoho zakhystu naselennia Ukrainy. (2016). 30 rokiv Chornobylskoi katastrofy: Vid ekstremalnoi sytuatsii do staloho rozvytku [30 years of the Chornobyl disaster: From extreme situation to sustainable development]. Kyiv.
Bazyka, D. A., Prysyazhnyuk, A. Ye., Gudzenko, N. A., et al. (2018). Health effects of the Chernobyl accident: 32 years of follow-up. Radiation Hygiene, 11(3), 10–22. https://doi.org/10.21514/1998-426X-2018-11-3-10-22
Ukrainskyi hidrometeorolohichnyi instytut. (2026). Prohnoz rozpovsiudzhennia radionuklidiv pry transkordonnomu perenesenni ta lokalnykh pozhezhakh [Forecast of radionuclide dispersion during transboundary transport and local fires]. http://uhmi.org.ua/radio/
Derzhavne ahentstvo Ukrainy z upravlinnia zonoju vidchuzhennia. (2025). Pro stan radiatsiinoi sytuatsii v zoni vidchuzhennia ta na prylehlykh terytoriiakh: Shchorichna dopovid za 2024 rik. Kyiv: Mindovkillia.
International Atomic Energy Agency. (2024). Environmental consequences of the Chernobyl accident: Dynamics of radionuclide transfer in food chains (2020–2026). Vienna.
International Atomic Energy Agency. (2020). Preparedness and response for a nuclear or radiological emergency (GSR Part 7). Vienna.
International Commission on Radiological Protection. (2023). Occupational radiological protection in interventional procedures (Publication 152). Sage.
Recent advances in internal dosimetry and microdosimetry for radiation protection. (2024). Journal of Radiological Protection, 44(2), 145–168. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6498/2024
Abstract views: 0 PDF Downloads: 0
Copyright (c) 2026 Артем Карпусь
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The authors agree with the following conditions:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication (Download agreement) with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2. Authors have the right to complete individual additional agreements for the non-exclusive spreading of the journal’s published version of the work (for example, to post work in the electronic repository of the institution or to publish it as part of a monograph), with the reference to the first publication of the work in this journal.
3. Journal’s politics allows and encourages the placement on the Internet (for example, in the repositories of institutions, personal websites, SSRN, ResearchGate, MPRA, SSOAR, etc.) manuscript of the work by the authors, before and during the process of viewing it by this journal, because it can lead to a productive research discussion and positively affect the efficiency and dynamics of citing the published work (see The Effect of Open Access).
