Chronic radiation syndrome or Chronic radia- tion sickness
This syndrome follows after the mild radiation syndrome or
after small radiation doses that may be repeated [14]. Furthermore,
doses from a flux of radiation greater or about
0.1Gy/h or from an accident during radiotherapy or during
a sun explosure emitting radiation, received by astronauts
during an interplanetary voyage or absorbed doses from radioactive
waste or from accidental misuse of radiopharmaceuticals
in medicine may cause CRS.
The experience gained from the nuclear accident of Chernobyl
suggests that the main symptoms of CRS are: skin
atrophy, fibrous formation of the skin after previous burns
and eye cataract [7, 15-17]. Burns may be induced from all
kinds of radiation. Specifically, radioactive material emitting
α- and β-rays, which have a short range of activity, must remain
for long on the clothing or the skin of the patients before
causing burns.
The chance of cancer after whole body radiation is a stochastic
effect due to genetic damage and may appear at any
time during life [18]. Latent period for a solid form of cancer
is 20-30 years, while for leukemia is 7-10 years [7]. There are
no indications for future appearance of cancer, for doses as
low as 0.05-0.1Gy.