Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2016. Vol. 61. No. 3. P. 81-88

A.V. Rozhko, E.A. Nadyrov, I.V. Veyalkin, A.A. Cheshik

Medical Effects of Chernobyl Disaster in the Republic of Belarus: 30 Years After

The Republican Research Center for Radiation Medicine and Human Ecology, Gomel, Belarus, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To estimate the health status of the various categories of Belorussian population affected by the Chernobyl catastrophe 30 years after the accident.

Material and methods: The data of the State Register of Belorussian persons exposed to radiation due to the Chernobyl accident, was collected for the period from 1986 to 2014. There were analyzed standard epidemiological parameters that characterized the state of health of the affected population. The analysis was conducted across the primary registration groups (PRG). To smooth out differences in the age-sex structure of the studied groups we used the indirect standardization of data by age, sex, place of residence and calendar time. Estimation of incidence ratios was conducted by comparing the 95 % confidence intervals. The dependence of thyroid cancer and leukemia from individualized doses was investigated.

Results: The aging of study revealed population and its gradual natural decline were shown. The most pronounced aging was observed in the cohort of liquidators from 41.0 [30.0; 50.0] years in 1986 to 59.0 [54.0; 66.0] years in 2014. In the analysis of the primary incidence rates the negative trend was found. The structure of primary morbidity of the affected population did not differ from the Republic of Belarus morbidity structure: in the first place there are respiratory diseases (49.4 %), second - injury and poisoning (9.3 %) and the third - diseases of the musculoskeletal system (6.1 %). The mortality of the affected population did not exceed the republican level, and in the cohort of liquidators it was below the population level (in 2014 SMR = 0.98 (0.93-1.03)). The incidence of malignant tumors in the affected population as a whole was slightly higher than the population level or it was even lower (PRG 1: SIR = 1.05 (1.04-1.07), PRG 2: SIR = 0.97 (0.89-1.04 ), PRG 3: SIR = 0.9 (0.86-0.91)). Elevated levels of cancer incidence were observed due to the high incidence rates of thyroid cancer (all PRG) and leukemia (in 1 PRG).

Conclusion: Our analysis showed that health indicators of affected people did not differ from the entire population of the Republic of Belarus. However, high risk of leukemia in the PRG 1 and 4, and the thyroid cancer in the PRG 4 are the subjects to be paid attention. The successes in the stabilizing the health indicators in affected population was achieved due to the organization of almost 100 % clinical examination of the population.

Key words: Chernobyl disaster, incidence rates, mortality rates, cancer, suffered population, Belarus

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For citation: Rozhko AV, Nadyrov EA, Veyalkin IV, Cheshik AA. Medical Effects of Chernobyl Disaster in the Republic of Belarus: 30 Years after. Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2016;61(3):81-8. Russian.

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