The 1986 reactor explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant forced a region-wide evacuation, sending radioactive fallout billowing across Europe.
The team, led by Meredith Yeager, screened the genomes of the children, born between 1987 and 2002, and who were conceived after the accident -- and did not find an increase in new genetic mutations in those studied, they said in a paper published in the journalEach parent was studied for exposure to ionizing radiation, either from their work in the clean-up or from environmental exposure. Parents in the study had experienced varying radiation doses.
Researchers said their findings suggest that exposure to ionizing radiation had minimal impact on the health of the next generation. Gerry Thomas, director of the Chernobyl Tissue Bank and Professor of Molecular Pathology at Imperial College London, told CNN that the study"uses modern technology to answer the question: 'If I am exposed to higher than background levels of radiation and then go on to have children, will my children be affected by my exposure?'