ArticleBMJ open2014
Non-cancer morbidity among Estonian Chernobyl cleanup workers: a register-based cohort study.
Article in BMJ open, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed.
- The long-term effects of drinking alcohol for stress coping on mental health symptoms among Fukushima nuclear plant workers: the Fukushima NEWS Project study.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Article
- Mortality from cancer and non-cancer diseases in the Lithuanian cohort of Chernobyl cleanup workers (2001-2020).International journal of cancer · 2026Article
- Exposure to protracted low-dose ionizing radiation and incident dementia in a cohort of Ontario nuclear power plant workers.Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2025Article
- Radiotherapy for non-cancer diseases: benefits and long-term risks.International journal of radiation biology · 2024Review
- Radiation and CNS effects: summary of evidence from a recent symposium of the Radiation Research Society.International journal of radiation biology · 2023Article
- Risk of Developing Non-Cancerous Central Nervous System Diseases Due to Ionizing Radiation Exposure during Adulthood: Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses.Brain sciences · 2022Review
- Impacts of psychological stress on high dose-rate radiation acute effects in a mouse experimental model.Journal of radiation research · 2022Article
- Ionizing radiation, cerebrovascular disease, and consequent dementia: A review and proposed framework relevant to space radiation exposure.Frontiers in physiology · 2022Review
- Mental Health Consequences of the Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima Nuclear Disasters: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Cesium-137 Contaminated Roads and Health Problems in Residents: an Epidemiological Investigation in Seoul, 2011.Journal of Korean medical science · 2018Article
- The 30-year mental health legacy of the Chernobyl disaster.World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) · 2016Article
- Mental health and alcohol problems among Estonian cleanup workers 24 years after the Chernobyl accident.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2015Article
- Consequences of toxic disasters for rescue, recovery, and clean-up workers require integrated mental and physical health monitoring: Editorial comment for social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2015Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
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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