The truth behind the worms moving in and out of Chernobyl: Can they transmit radiation?

A group of biologists from New York University has made a discovery that could be of great importance for the future and has to do with Chernobyl.

The team led by Sofia Tintori discovered that there is a species of microscopic worms that not affected by radiation what’s in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ).

The accident that occurred on April 26, 1986 in north-central Ukraine still affects dozens of animals living in the ZEC. It is worth remembering that this is an area of ​​about 30 kilometers around the plant that still contains radioactive material and is prohibited for human entry.

AS, What is the importance of the discovery?

A very positive discovery

That the worms living in the ZEC are free from radiation damage does not mean that the area is safe, however the data it could offer insights into people’s DNA repair mechanisms.

According to Science Report, the discovery could lead to new drugs for humans and help “think about how individuals respond differently to DNA-damaging agents in the environment,” something that will help get a clear view of the factors of risk of people.

“Now that we know which strains Oschieus tipulae are more sensitive or more tolerant to DNA damage, we can use these strains to study why different individuals are more likely than others to suffer the effects of carcinogens,” says Tintari.

It should be emphasized that these worms are resistant and capable of “skillfully” adapting to conditions that are inhospitable to other species.

A super resistant species

The insects in question are nematodes of the species Oschieus tipulaemicroscopic round worms that can also live in the bodies of other organisms.

Because they have simple genomes and live short lives, biologists can study several generations in a short amount of time. The insects analyzed by Tintori’s team were collected in the ZEC by an authorized team.

In short, “there is no evidence of any genetic impact of the CEZ environment on the genomes of O. tipulae”.

Can Chernobyl worms transmit radiation?

In his opinion Centers for Disease Control and PreventionThere are four key concepts when talking about radiation contamination: internal, external, radioactive and exposure contamination. Let’s stick with the first two.

The first refers to when a person “swallows” radioactive material directly at the accident site. The second is when the material comes into contact with a person’s skin, hair or clothing (this can lead to internal contamination).

Externally contaminated people can contaminate others or to the surfaces they touch, for example, when they sit on chairs or hug others.

Those contaminated internally can expose those around them to radiation from radioactive material present in the body. The latter occurs through body fluids, such as blood, sweat or urine.

For National Geographic, Nuclear contamination in animals usually does not harm humans.

The people affected are the animals themselves due to the mutations they undergo. In both people and animals, radiation destroys genes. Fragile DNA strands can break, causing copying errors that lead to harmful or deadly mutations.

A sort of involuntary natural park was formed in the ZEC; Populations of traditional animals, such as wolves, wild boars, roe deer, deer, elk, and beavers, multiplied and expanded outside the area.

Special conservation guards have been set up for all of them to protect and control them. The same goes for rivers and lakes in the area, which are at significant risk of spreading contaminated silt during floods. These were protected with dams.

Poaching and illegal felling of trees were also prohibited as, despite police control, intruders entered the perimeter and removed contaminated materials.