ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The Chernobyl nuclear accident of 1986 caused a dramatic increase in the incidence of thyroid cancers in exposed children in Belarus. Airborne radioactivity from the reactor spread over northern Italy, where rainout gave rise to low levels of radioactivity at ground level. PATIENTS AND METHODS: As the latency between exposure to ionising radiation and development of thyroid cancer is thought to be about 10 years, in 1996/1997 all children born in 1985 and 1986 and attending school in an area of Milan, Italy were examined for thyroid nodules. A total of 3949 children were examined by two physicians blinded to the examination and diagnosis of the other. The children were to be reassessed in 2001/2002. RESULTS: In total, 1% had palpable nodules. The nodule diagnoses were: Hurtle cell adenoma (one), thyroglossal duct cyst (one), thyroid cyst (four) and thyroiditis (four). The prevalence of thyroid disease in the cohort was indistinguishable from that of populations not exposed to radioactive pollution. Only 10 children re-presented for examination 5 years later; all were negative. The direct costs of the study were estimated at 21,200 Euros. CONCLUSION: The high cost of the study in relation to reassuring lack of increase in thyroid nodule prevalence suggests that further studies are not justified.
Subject(s)
Chernobyl Nuclear Accident , Thyroid Diseases/epidemiology , Thyroid Diseases/etiology , Child , Child, Preschool , Cohort Studies , Costs and Cost Analysis , Female , Humans , Infant , Italy/epidemiology , Male , Prevalence , Time FactorsSubject(s)
Hip Dislocation, Congenital/therapy , Traction , Female , Hip Dislocation, Congenital/surgery , Humans , Infant , Male , Traction/methodsSubject(s)
Neoplasms/mortality , Occupational Diseases/mortality , Power Plants , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , ItalyABSTRACT
At a thermoelectric power plant in Turbigo (Milan, Italy), an analysis of the technological process has shown the presence of exposure to several carcinogens: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, asbestos, hydrazine, polychlorinated biphenyls, chromium, nickel, and beryllium. An epidemiologic study was carried out to quantify the effect of the detected exposures on the workers, and the cancer mortality of the cohort was compared with the corresponding rates from the closest town and with cancer register data from a nearby province. Excess mortality was found for workers with 10 or more years of employment; the median latency time was about 20 years.
