General morbidity among children of Chernobyl cleanup workers: radiation epidemiological study

Impact of ionizing radiation on children of parents exposed to low-level ionizing radiation is the issue, frequently discussed in radiation epidemiology and radiobiology. In the recent three decades the emphasis has been given to the assessment of health status of children whose fathers participated in cleanup operations after the Chernobyl accident, namely, the relationship between the rate of possible congenital anomalies and radiation dose to fathers, Chernobyl cleanup workers. The paper presents results of radiation epidemiological study of general morbidity among children of Chernobyl cleanup workers registered at the National Radiation Epidemiological Registry. The size of the study group was 15 450 children and 11 698 fathers. The fathers' average external gamma-radiation dose was 130 mGy. Three methods of statistical analysis were used in the study, in particular descriptive analysis in dose comparison groups, a method for determining statistical relationships based on intelligent data analysis, and modeling of morbidity. The study demonstrated no changes in the structure of morbidity among the children of fathers exposed to radiation. No statistically significant radiation-associated risks of diseases of the most classes and categories, including the class "All neoplasms" and "Congenital anomalies (malformations), deformities and chromosomal abnormalities" were found.