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. 2014 Aug;54(3):125-49.
doi: 10.1111/cga.12051.

Blastopathies and microcephaly in a Chornobyl impacted region of Ukraine

Wladimir Wertelecki  1 , Lyubov Yevtushok, Natalia Zymak-Zakutnia, Bin Wang, Zoriana Sosyniuk, Serhiy Lapchenko, Holly H Hobart
Affiliations

Blastopathies and microcephaly in a Chornobyl impacted region of Ukraine

Wladimir Wertelecki et al. Congenit Anom (Kyoto). 2014 Aug.

Abstract

This population-based descriptive epidemiology study demonstrates that rates of conjoined twins, teratomas, neural tube defects, microcephaly, and microphthalmia in the Rivne province of Ukraine are among the highest in Europe. The province is 200 km distant from the Chornobyl site and its northern half, a region known as Polissia, is significantly polluted by ionizing radiation. The rates of neural tube defects, microcephaly and microphthalmia in Polissia are statistically significantly higher than in the rest of the province. A survey of at-birth head size showed that values were statistically smaller in males and females born in one Polissia county than among neonates born in the capital city. These observations provide clues for confirmatory and cause-effect prospective investigations. The strength of this study stems from a reliance on international standards prevalent in Europe and a decade-long population-based surveillance of congenital malformations in two distinct large populations. The limitations of this study, as those of other descriptive epidemiology investigations, is that identified cause-effect associations require further assessment by specific prospective investigations designed to address specific teratogenic factors.

Keywords: Chornobyl; blastopathies; congenital malformations; ionizing radiation; sex ratio.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of Rivne province counties indicating those with soils characteristics of a region called Polissia and those counties designated as impacted by Chornobyl ionizing radiation. Also shown is the area of “distant” Polissia, the location sites of nuclear power plants and the trajectory of major rivers of the region.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Occipito-frontal circumferences (OFC in cm) of infants born after at least 38 weeks of gestation. Measurements were obtained from 2398 males and 2240 females from Zarichne county in the Polissia region compared to those of 12 542 males and 11 649 females from Rivne city located in the non-Polissia region of the Rivne province. The OFC values of males and females are smaller in Zarichne county. The contrast is statistically significant (P-value <0.0001 using permutation test and other) (Wang and Wertelecki 2013).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Twin individuals with neural tube defects (NTD) and twinning events among their relatives (2000–2009).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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