Russian Health Studies Program
Program History

History of the Program

U.S./Russian cooperation was initiated in 1994 under a bi-national agreement. The work is conducted under the management of the Joint Coordinating Committee for Radiation Effects Research (JCCRER), of which DOE is the lead U.S. agency and the Federal Medical Biological Agency (FMBA) is the lead Russian agency for radiation health effects research and the Ministry for Civil Defense Affairs, Emergencies, and the Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters (EMERCOM) is the lead Russian agency for radiation accidents.

The bulk of the joint scientific work is conducted in Russia, with the U.S. researchers supplementing expertise available in Russia. DOE funds the U.S. and Russian scientific teams. The first several years involved building infrastructure in Russia (computers, telephones, fax machines, and internet connections) and linking eminent U.S. and Russian researchers. Over the last five years, the rate of progress has rapidly increased with greater focus on the research. Much of the radiation dose reconstruction work is unique and of very high quality. The peer-reviewed publication record is excellent and growing. From 1994 through 2007, over 171 scientific articles have been published in peer-reviewed journals. The science is recognized worldwide for its critical contribution to radiation research.

Where is the research conducted?

Since 1994, all radiation effects research activities have focused on Mayak workers and individuals in surrounding communities. Mayak began operations in 1948. At various times, Mayak accidentally or intentionally released large quantities of radioactive materials into the environment from its seven uranium-graphite production reactors and its radiochemical processing plant. These releases resulted in significant exposures of ionizing radiation for protracted periods of time to workers and people living along the Techa River downstream from the complex. It is estimated that several workers accumulated occupational radiation doses of over 5 Gray (Gy) at rates averaging about 1 Gy per year. Radioactive discharges to the Techa River of approximately 3 million Curies contaminated the river for over 250 km (about 156 miles) downstream and irradiated nearly 124,000 people living along its banks.

Approximately 30 U.S. scientists work with over 200 Russian researchers at Mayak, the Southern Urals Biophysics Institute (SUBI), and the Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine (URCRM). The Program's budget for Fiscal Year 2007 was $2.8 million.

Contact Information:
Program Manager: Barrett N. Fountos, 301-903-6740

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