Epidemiological aspects of the Thule case. Mortality, number of hospital admissions and fertility levels observed amongst the workers employed at the Thule base following the B-52 bomber crash

In 1968 an American B-52 bomber carrying nuclear bombs crashed near the Thule Air Base in Greenland. Since 1986 it has been suspected that morbidity was elevated among the workers employed during the following clean-up period. The aim was to elucidate certain following epidemiological aspects including possible hazardous effects on the workers' health measured by death rate, hospital admissions and fertility levels, to analyze the mortality pattern of these workers compared to that of the rest of the Danish population, to discuss alternatives for the analysis of possible hazardous effects on workers' health after the crash and the consequences of the political and media coverage. No significant difference was found in the frequency of live-born children among the workers employed during the clean-up period compared to those employed outside this period and to those in the first-named group involved in a specific clean-up operation. The number of hospital admissions was the same in both groups but there were more admissions of psychiatric cases among the workers employed during the clean-up period, amongst these 75% represented alcoholism. No differences were found between the employed groups and the general Danish population with regard to total mortality or mortality from cancer, circulatory diseases or other natural causes or accidents. Prevalent causes of death were lung cancer, heart disease, alcoholism, liver cirrhosis, suicide and accidents. It is concluded that Thule workers did not suffer excess mortality and there is no basis for the theory of mass sterilization. The crash of may have led to a few cases of illness. (AB) 148 refs