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A detailed study was made of the conditions of exposure of 56 victims of the Chernobyl accident who suffered radiation lesions in the skin. The most typical conditions were experimentally reconstructed in order to investigate the specific characteristics of the distribution of doses to the skin according to depth for different exposure conditions. The absorbed doses at depths of 7 mg cm-2 and 150 mg cm-2 were calculated on the basis of measurements with multilayer skin dosemeters. The patients were classified into four groups. Dosimetric characteristics for each group were compared with the clinical pictures to establish the critical factors in the occurrence of lesions. It was demonstrated that the depth-dose distribution of beta-radiation to the skin is of great influence not only for the early effects of radiation but also for the later effects. Radiation lesions in the skin led to death if the area of the lesions exceeded about 50% of the total body surface, and if the doses to the skin were about 200-300 Gy at 7 mg cm-2 and more than about 30 Gy at 150 mg cm-2.

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