Environmental Health Perspectives 105, Supplement 6, December 1997

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Incidence of Childhood Disease in Belarus Associated with the Chernobyl Accident

Leonid Lomat,1 Galina Galburt,1 Michael R. Quastel,2 Semion Polyakov,1 Alexey Okeanov,1 and Semion Rozin3

1Belarus Center for Medical Technologies, Minsk, Republic of Belarus; 2Soroka Medical Center and Faculty of Health Sciences, Beer Sheva, Israel; 3Faculty of Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel

Abstract
Study of the childhood incidence of cancer and other diseases in Belarus is of great importance because of the present unfavorable environmental situation. About 20% of the children in the republic were exposed in various degrees to radiation as a result of the Chernobyl accident. Since 1987 increases in the incidence of most classes of disease have been reported, including the development of thyroid cancer. From 1987 to 1995, thyroid cancer was diagnosed in 424 children; its incidence having increased from 0.2 to 4.0/105 in 1995. According to preliminary data for 1996, 81 childhood cancer cases were reported. During 1995 there also were increases in the incidence of endocrine and dermatologic diseases and mental disorders. During the period 1987 to 1995 significant increases in the incidences of all illnesses were observed for children listed in the Chernobyl registry. The highest incidence rates were found in evacuated children and those residing in contaminated areas. There also were increased incidences of thyroid and digestive organ diseases among these children and in addition, high prevalence of chronic tonsillitis and adenoiditis was observed. Since 1990 an increase of autoimmune thyroiditis has been observed. The highest rates of hematopoietic tissue diseases were found in children born after the accident to irradiated parents. -- Environ Health Perspect 105(Suppl 6):1529-1532 (1997)

Key words: radiation, Chernobyl, children, childhood disease, cancer, Belarus, epidemiology

This paper is based on a presentation at the International Conference on Radiation and Health held 3-7 November 1996 in Beer Sheva, Israel. Abstracts of these papers were previously published in Public Health Reviews 24(3-4):205-431 (1996). Manuscript received at EHP 12 August 1997; accepted 2 October 1997.

Address correspondence to Dr. L. Lomat, Belarusian Center for Medical Technologies, 7a P. Brovki St., 220600 Minsk, Belarus. Telephone: 375 172 323094. Fax: 375 172 323080. E-mail: belcmt@belcmt.belpak.minsk.by

Abbreviations used: BelCMT, Belarus Center for Medical Technologies; Ci, curie; HCI, health care institutions; ICD, International Classification of Diseases; kBq, kilobecquerel; WHO, World Health Organization.

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