[Exposure of the fetoplacental unit, breast milk and cow's milk to radionuclides 1 year after Chernobyl]. / Belastung der fetoplazentaren Einheit, der Muttermilch und Kuhmilch durch Radionuklide ein Jahr nach Tschernobyl.

Placenta, umbilical cord with membranes, amniotic fluid, foetal blood (from the umbilical vein), maternal urine and breast milk were examined for the non-natural radioisotopes 131iodine, 103ruthenium, 134caesium, 137caesium originating mainly from the nuclear power plant accident in Chernobyl compared with 40potassium existent in the natural environment. Apart from amniotic fluid, all samples contained considerable traces of caesium-radioisotopes. 131iodine and 103ruthenium could not be identified at the time of our survey due to their short half-life. The radioisotope load of placenta was found to be increased tenfold compared to studies before the Chernobyl catastrophe. Breast milk radioisotope load was found to be lower than that in cow's milk in a corresponding geographical region in the same period of time.