Cancer incidence among Chernobyl cleanup workers from Estonia: A 34‐year follow‐up

Abstract

From 1986 to 1991, 4831 men from Estonia were sent to clean up radioactively contaminated areas near Chernobyl (Chornobyl). Their cancer incidence during 1986 to 2019 was compared to that of the male population of Estonia. The cohort of cleanup workers was linked to national population and cancer registers based on unique personal identification numbers. Nineteen (0.4%) workers could not be traced. A total of 4812 men contributing 120 770 person‐years of follow‐up were eligible for the analyses. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) and adjusted relative risks (ARR, expressed as ratios of SIRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. A total of 687 incident cancer cases were registered in the cohort (SIR 1.11, 95% CI 1.03‐1.19). Presumptive radiation‐related cancers combined were in excess, but not when smoking‐ and alcohol‐related cancers were excluded (SIR 0.92, 95% CI 0.71‐1.18). For smoking‐related cancers, the SIR was 1.24 (95% CI 1.13‐1.36) and for alcohol‐related cancer the SIR was 1.53 (95% CI 1.31‐1.75). Less educated workers had a higher risk of all cancers (ARR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.02‐1.44) and smoking‐related cancers (ARR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.14‐1.76). An elevated risk of alcohol‐related cancers was evident 15 to 24 years (vs <15 years) after return from the Chernobyl area. This updated register‐based follow‐up of Chernobyl cleanup workers from Estonia revealed an excess of radiation‐related cancer sites combined, but the excess was not apparent after excluding cancers associated with smoking and alcohol.