title: The Sex Ratio at Birth: The Role of Ionizing Radiation Vs. Social Factors
abstract: The concept has been propagated by certain writers that elevation of the radiation background due to nuclear testing and Chernobyl fallout skewed the sex ratio at birth towards more males. This hypothesis remains unproven and seems to camouflage the following tendencies exemplified here on the basis of the former Soviet Union. Almost all regions displayed an increase in the male/total ratio at birth from 1986 onwards. The highest ratios have been reported from the South Caucasus, being explained
journal: Journal of Environmental Studies