INCIDENCE OF BIRTH DEFECTS IN THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN AND EAST KAZAKHSTAN REGION IN 2007-2012: CONSEQUENCES OF THE NUCLEAR TESTS AT THE SEMIPALATINSK TEST SITE

Abstract

Long term consequences of the activities at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (SNTS) twenty years after the test site was closed in relation to inborn abnormalities remain largely unknown. This study aims at assessment of the incidence of inborn abnormalities in general and cardiovascular abnormalities in particular in the Republic of Kazakhstan and in administrative regions of the East Kazakhstan region among children aged 0-14 years using the national official statistical data. All anomalies classified in ICD-10 as Q00-Q99 and inborn anomalies of the cardiovascular system classified as Q20-Q28 registered in 2007-2012 in Kazakhstan were included in the study. The regions were ranked by the mean 6-years incidence rates of inborn abnormalities. Linear regression analysis was applied to assess the trends in the incidence of birth defects in each of the regions in the country and each of the administrative units in the East Kazakhstan region. The results of this ecological study demonstrate that in spite of long-term nuclear testing at SNTS, twenty years after the test site was closed the incidence of inborn abnormalities in general and of the cardiovascular system in particular are among the lowest in the country suggesting that the present impact of the consequences of the SNTS on the incidence inborn abnormalities at the national level is minor compared to other factors. However, regional data clearly indicate that the highest incidence of inborn abnormalities in the region is still registered in the administrative units which were affected the most by the activities at the SNTS.