Suicide Risk Among Chernobyl Cleanup Workers in Estonia Still Increased: An Updated Cohort Study

Rahu, Kaja; Rahu, Mati; Tekkel, Mare; Bromet, Evelyn J.

doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2006.07.006

Cited by 59 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Suicide risk has been persistently elevated since the beginning of follow-up 17 18. The current research provides the first overview of morbidity other than cancer in the Estonian cohort of Chernobyl cleanup workers with special attention to radiation-related diseases and mental health disorders.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Non-cancer morbidity among Estonian Chernobyl cleanup workers: a register-based cohort study

et al. 2014

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ObjectiveTo examine non-cancer morbidity in the Estonian Chernobyl cleanup workers cohort compared with the population sample with special attention to radiation-related diseases and mental health disorders.DesignRegister-based cohort study.SettingEstonia.ParticipantsAn exposed cohort of 3680 men (cleanup workers) and an unexposed cohort of 7631 men (population sample) were followed from 2004 to 2012 through the Population Registry and Health Insurance Fund database.MethodsMorbidity in the exposed cohort compared with the unexposed controls was estimated in terms of rate ratio (RR) with 95% CIs using Poisson regression models.ResultsElevated morbidity in the exposed cohort was found for diseases of the nervous system, digestive system, musculoskeletal system, ischaemic heart disease and for external causes. The most salient excess risk was observed for thyroid diseases (RR=1.69; 95% CI 1.38 to 2.07), intentional self-harm (RR=1.47; 95% CI 1.04 to 2.09) and selected alcohol-related diagnoses (RR=1.25; 95% CI 1.12 to 1.39). No increase in morbidity for stress reactions, depression, headaches or sleep disorders was detected.ConclusionsNo obvious excess morbidity consistent with biological effects of radiation was seen in the exposed cohort, with the possible exception of benign thyroid diseases. Increased alcohol-induced morbidity may reflect alcohol abuse, and could underlie some of the higher morbidity rates. Mental disorders in the exposed cohort were probably under-reported. The future challenge will be to study mental and physical comorbidities in the Chernobyl cleanup workers cohort.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Non-cancer morbidity among Estonian Chernobyl cleanup workers: a register-based cohort study

et al. 2014

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“…In contrast, little is known about suicide behaviours following man-made disasters. To the best of our knowledge, the only studies to date reported an excess in suicide 3 years and 7+ years after Chernobyl among clean-up workers from Estonia 8 9…”

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confidence: 90%

Fukushima, mental health and suicide

Maeda

Bromet

et al. 2016

J Epidemiol Community Health

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“…Substantial mental health burdens have been documented among both those relocated and those remaining in contaminated areas (18,19,86), including poor self-rated health, anxiety, depression, and other symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Cleanup workers demonstrated substantial increases in suicide, suicidal ideation, PTSD, and other psychiatric illnesses, which persisted two decades after the accident (19,130,171). Researchers found that general psychological distress was also common in nuclear plant workers in the months after the Fukushima disaster.…”

Section: Nuclearmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy and Human Health

Smith

Frumkin

Balakrishnan

et al. 2013

Annu. Rev. Public Health

239

146

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Energy use is central to human society and provides many health benefits. But each source of energy entails some health risks. This article reviews the health impacts of each major source of energy, focusing on those with major implications for the burden of disease globally. The biggest health impacts accrue to the harvesting and burning of solid fuels, coal and biomass, mainly in the form of occupational health risks and household and general ambient air pollution. Lack of access to clean fuels and electricity in the world's poor households is a particularly serious risk for health. Although energy efficiency brings many benefits, it also entails some health risks, as do renewable energy systems, if not managed carefully. We do not review health impacts of climate change itself, which are due mostly to climate-altering pollutants from energy systems, but do discuss the potential for achieving near-term health cobenefits by reducing certain climate-related emissions.

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Suicide Risk Among Chernobyl Cleanup Workers in Estonia Still Increased: An Updated Cohort Study

Cited by 59 publications

References 5 publications

Non-cancer morbidity among Estonian Chernobyl cleanup workers: a register-based cohort study

Non-cancer morbidity among Estonian Chernobyl cleanup workers: a register-based cohort study

Fukushima, mental health and suicide

Energy and Human Health

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