Health conditions among workers who participated in the cleanup of the Chernobyl accident.

Abstract

People who took part in the Chernobyl accident cleanup have been registered upon their return to Kyrgyzstan since 1991, and their children since 1992. Later, citizens affected by the Semipalatinsk and Chelyabinsk contamination incidents were included for registration and health care purposes. The effects of the nuclear waste depositories in the Mailuu-Suu region were examined with the assistance of the Kansas University Medical Center (United States of America). All these investigations of affected people indicate apparent increases in a number of symptoms and illnesses when compared to the rest of the population. Sample sizes ranged from several hundred to several thousand. Above-normal radiation levels and/or the stress and fear of living in contaminated area can lead to significant increases in nervous disorders, cardiovascular diseases and other problems. The most significant increase was in the suicide rate.