Effects of Pediatric Thyroid Exposure

There is an age-related dependency between exposure of the thyroid to radiation and the risk of carcinogenesis.

The effects of radiation on the thyroid in children was investigated in detail with respect to the children involved in the Chernobyl nuclear accident in the Ukraine. The main material expelled as a result of the nuclear accident was radioactive iodine. Almost all iodine taken into the body travels to the thyroid. The investigative results showed a high dependency on age. It was evident that particular caution was necessary with children under the age of 5.