[Incidence of developmental defects in human embryos in the territory of Byelarus after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station].

The incidence of developmental abnormalities (DA) among 5 to 12-week human embryos collected in Minsk during abortions before the Chernobyl' accident was compared to that in Minsk, Mogilev, and southeastern districts of Gomel' and Mogilev regions before and after the accident. The incidence of DA among human embryos from the most radionuclide-contaminated rural regions of Byelarus exceeds that of the control group and of the urban population after the Chernobyl' accident by a factor of 1.5-2. The mutagenic effect of irradiation is the most probable cause of the increased DA frequency. These data suggest that recording of DA in embryos obtained by medical abortions is a new promising approach to the monitoring of genetic consequences of irradiation in human populations.