Female reproductive function in areas affected by radiation after the Chernobyl power station accident

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a comprehensive survey of the effects of the accidental release of radiation caused by the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in April 1986. The accident and the resulting release of radiation and radioactive products into the atmosphere produced the most serious environmental contamination so far recorded. We have concentrated on evaluating the outcomes and health risks to women, their reproductive situation, and consequences for their progeny. We have concentrated on two well-defined areas: the Chechersky district of the Gomel region in Belorussia and the Polessky district of the Kiev region in the Ukraine. A number of investigations were carried out on 688 pregnant women and their babies, and data were obtained from 7000 labor histories of the development of newborns for a period of 8 years (3 years before the accident and 5 years after it). Parameters examined included birth rate, thyroid pathology, extragenital pathology such as anemias, renal disorders, hypertension, and abnormalities in the metabolism of fats, complications of gestation, spontaneous abortions, premature deliveries, perinatal morbidity and mortality, stillbirths and early neonatal mortality, infections and inflammatory diseases, neurological symptoms and hemic disturbances in both mothers and infants, trophic anomalies, and biochemical and structural changes in the placenta. Several exogenous, complicating influences were also considered such as psycho-emotional factors, stress, lifestyle changes, and others caused directly by the hazardous situation and by its consequences such as treatment, removal from affected areas, etc. The results allow us to conclude that health of mothers, fetuses, and children were significantly influenced by the radiation, with adaptational and pathological abnormalities of various organs and body systems of pregnant women and children. Although the female reproductive system itself remains relatively intact, the decrease in compensatory-adaptive mechanisms of mothers and fetoplacental disorders cause long-term or chronic diseases in the newborns. It is suggested that special attention is paid to possible prophylaxis and to treatment of groups at risk in order to reduce hazardous consequences of such accidents and to preserve the health of future generations.

Genetic radiation risks: a neglected topic in the low dose debate

“…For CM, before and after Chernobyl increases for all CM were: Gomel 150%>Mogilev 130%>Brest 120%>Vitebsk 110%, the rank of their contamination levels. Kulakov et al [ 26 ] examined 688 pregnancies and 7000 births in Chechersky (Gomel, Belarus) and Polessky (Kiev, Ukraine). Sharp reductions in birth rates in both regions after Chernobyl were ascribed partly to abortions.…”

“…Incidence increased by a factor of two following the accident for congenital heart disease, esophageal atresia, anencephaly, hydrocephaly and multiple malformations. Total number of neonatal disorders increased in Polessky (Ukraine) from 1983 to 1985 to 1986 to 1990 from 6.81 to 21.32 (313%) and in Chechersky from 5.15 to 10.49 [ 26 ].…”

The post‐disaster negative health legacy: pregnancy outcomes in Louisiana after Hurricane Andrew

“…Studies have considered the effects of the Chernobyl disaster on pregnancy outcomes, such as pregnancy loss, stillbirths and induced abortions. The areas that received the highest dose of radiation experienced a statistically significant increase in spontaneous abortions (Auvinen et al, 2001;Kulakov et al, 1993;Ulstein et al, 1990). The terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 focused on the World Trade Center in New York City resulted in a detrimental impact on intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) (birth weight < 10th percentile for gestational age) (Berkowitz et al, 2003) with 'exposed' mothers having a two-fold increased risk of IUGR compared with non-exposed pregnancies.…”

Reproductive Effects of Exposure to Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation: A Long-Term Follow-Up of Immigrant Women Exposed to the Chernobyl Accident

“…Studies regarding the reproductive health of women in the contaminated regions immediately after the Chernobyl accident showed a decrease in birth rates, an increase in anemia during pregnancy, and an increase in perinatal mortality. In 1987, the highest recorded level of perinatal mortality was 37.4% in the Polessky district of the Ukraine, when the stillbirth and early neonatal mortality rates were 20.6% and 16.8%, respectively [23][24][25]. Accompanying the increase in morbidity and neonatal mortality were high rates of anxiety and depression in the contaminated regions among women of reproductive ages [15,21,26].…”