Abstract
<jats:p>Background. The bombing of infrastructure facilities, medical institutions and enterprises of Ukrainian cities, the capture of the Chernobyl NPP and the exclusion zone, and the Zaporizhzhia NPP are directly related to the threats of both local and large–scale radiation emergencies. The war revealed and exacerbated existing problems in organizing a response to radiation emergencies, including challenges for preventive medicine, the main task of which is the preventive protection of the health of the population Purpose – to analyse the radiation risks for the Ukrainian population related to the war in the context of the experience of dealing with the consequences of the Chernobyl accident and the prevention of radiation injuries. Materials and methods. Measurements of indoor Radon levels were carried out by the method of passive track radonometry. Quality guarantees of Radon measurement are provided by calibration of detectors in the working state standard of the unit of measurement Radon–222. To determine the dose exposure, dose coefficients, methods and mathematical models of the International Commission on Radiation Protection and the database of the Radiation Protection Laboratory of the State Institution "Marzieiev Institute for Public Health of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine" regarding indoor Radon activities. Analytical research methods were used to analyze the materials. Results. An analysis of existing radiation doses in the context of radiation risks for the country's population in wartime conditions was conducted. It was found that total radiation doses increased as a result of people staying in bomb shelters for a certain time due to Radon. The Radon component of the total dose for the urban population living above the 1st floor of multi–storey buildings according to a conservative forecast scenario may increase by 1.5–2 times. The Chernobyl component of the total dose today is less than 1%. The contribution of medical radiation has significantly increased due to the diagnosis and treatment of wounded military personnel and the population affected by shelling. The main mistakes made during the liquidation of the consequences of the Chernobyl accident have been analyzed. Potential emergency risks as a result of the war have been analyzed. It has been established that the requirements of the modern radiation protection system, which was improved based on the experience of liquidation of the consequences of the Chernobyl accident, have not been implemented in the Ukrainian regulatory framework. The lack of modern "Radiation Safety Standards" hampers the development and adaptation to wartime conditions of other lower–level regulatory documents on emergency response and radiation protection of the population. The first years of the war also showed that Ukraine lacks a system for informing about radiation risks. Conclusions. 1. Analysis of the current situation of population exposure showed that the Chernobyl component today is less than 1% of the total radiation dose. 2. It was established that the radiation doses of the country's population in wartime conditions increase due to the increase in the contribution of the medical component of the total radiation dose and indoor Radon of the premises of protective structures and bomb shelters. 3. It was established that the outdated regulatory framework does not meet the modern requirements of the international radiation protection system regarding the emergency radiation situation. 4. It was established that the main tasks of preventive medicine today are the definition, analysis and recommendations for reducing additional radiation risks to the health of the population and scientific and educational work on radiation risks.</jats:p>