Childhood mortality in Ozyorsk and Snezhinsk (on the basis of the registry of children born in 1974-1988)

Analysis has been conducted on the basis of the registry of children of the towns of Ozyorsk and Snezhinsk. The differences between these towns are associated with different distances from the PA "Mayak" and, correspondingly, different doses of radiation exposure resulting from living in the vicinity of the operating nuclear complex. Infant mortality and childhood mortality between 1 and 15 years of age were studied in the cohort of children born in 1974-1988. The average value of effective dose due to the Mayak operations was 2.2 mSv (the range 0.05-3.4 mSv) in Ozyorsk and 1.3 mSv (0.07-2.0) in Snezhinsk. No significant differences were observed in the infant mortality and mortality from all causes at the age 1-15 years between Ozyorsk and Snezhinsk. The pattern of mortality was similar in the two towns. Endogenous causes (specific states of the perinatal period and congenital malformations) were the most common causes of infant mortality in both towns. The three most important causes of death between 1 and 15 years of age were traumas and poisonings, neoplasms and respiratory diseases. Cancer mortality in the cohort of children who attained 15 years of age is 9.6 (in Ozyorsk) and 4.9 (in Sne-zhinsk) deaths per 105 person-years, leukemia mortality 3.7 and 2.4 deaths per 105 person-years, respectively. No differences were observed between the mortality in the subcohort of children of the Mayak workers and in the control subcohort. A number of uncertainties and plans for future research are discussed.