Health consequences of the accident of Chornobyl in Germany and Europe outside the former Soviet Union

After the Chornobyl (Russian: Chernobyl) reactor accident areas outside the former Soviet Union especially in Central Europe, South East Europe and parts of Scandinavia were affected by the reactor accident. To date, there is no evidence that the reactor accident has caused adverse health effects due to radiation in Germany.

Estimation of additional cancer cases

Various national and international organisations carried out estimates of the total number of expected cancer cases in Europe induced by radiation. The results of the estimates vary widely. In November 2006, the BfS organised an international workshop on the matter. The variations between the estimates were found to be caused by differences in the population figures used and not by different assumptions about the radiation exposure levels or the radiation-induced risk of cancer.

On the whole, it can be assumed that outside the former Soviet Union there has been no statistically discernible increase in cancer incidence compared to the number of spontaneously occurring cancer cases.

Prematurity

In a nationwide cohort study, it was investigated whether after the Chernobyl reactor accident in the areas of Germany (old federal states of West Germany) that were more affected by the fallout preterm births were more frequent than in the rest of the areas. The representative survey included a total of around 8,000 women who got pregnant shortly before or after the reactor accident. The results of the study showed no significant differences in the preterm birth rate in the areas affected differently by the Chernobyl fallout. The comparison of this study with a similarly structured one from 1981/82 also showed no altered preterm birth rate.

Impacts on the unborn child - contradictory findings

Studies revealed contradictory findings concerning infant mortality as well as the frequencies of stillbirths, malformations and tumours in children in Germany. Many of the studies indicating a statistically significant association have methodological weaknesses. The latter especially include the evaluation of aggregated data categorised according to place and time without any individual information. This means that the potential influence of confounding variables cannot be ruled out. Thus, it cannot be excluded that the reported observations are accidental.

Trisomy 21 in newborn infants

In January 1987, twelve newborn infants were diagnosed with Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) in the western part of Berlin. Only two to three spontaneous cases with this disability are registered there per month. As this increase occurred exactly nine months after the Chornobyl accident, it was associated with the disaster. However, studies in Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Norway and Bavaria found no association even though higher additional radiation exposure levels had been determined there than in Berlin.

Thyroid cancer in children

In Germany, there are no indications for an increased incidence of thyroid cancer in children due to the radiation accident.