Retroactive epidemiological study of the consequences of the Chernobyl cloud for the populations of Corsica - Synthesis

After a brief presentation of the knowledge on health consequences of the Chernobyl accident in Europe (quantities of iodine-131 deposited in different countries, evolution of thyroid cancers and evolution of cancer diagnosis programs), this report examines the relationship between the variations of thyroidal pathologies and the level of exposure to the Chernobyl cloud. The methodology and peculiarities of this study are discussed. The main results obtained for women and men in Europe are briefly presented in terms of occurrence of hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, thyroiditis and thyroid cancers. Then, the report addresses the specific case of Corsica: methodology and peculiarities (structural and circumstances-related limitations), discussion of the results obtained from endocrinology medical files, discussion with respect to pathologies (hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, thyroiditis and thyroid cancers). A distinction is made between mountain and seaside territories. The next part addresses the consequences the Chernobyl cloud fallouts for children in terms of thyroidal pathologies, of cohorts of children born in 1986 and in 1989, of acute leukaemia, and of prenatal mortality due to congenital malformations