Epidemiology of Somatic Diseases and Risk Factors in the Population Living in the Zone of Influence of Uranium Mining Enterprises of Kazakhstan: A Pilot Study

Abstract

The increase in uranium mining in Kazakhstan has brought with it a number of problems. Reducing the negative impact of radiation-toxic factors on the health of workers and the population in uranium mining regions is one of them. This article presents a pilot population health study in which we developed approaches to support residents living near an operating uranium mining enterprise. The purpose of the current study was to assess the impact of technogenic factors on the health of those living near the Syrdarya uranium ore province. Data collected from 5605 residents from the village of Bidaykol (the main group)—which is located 4 km from the uranium mining enterprise—and the village of Sunakata (the control group), which is located in the Kyzylorda region, were analyzed. A bidirectional cohort study was conducted. The prevalence of acute and chronic diseases among the residents of Bidaykol was 1.3 times higher than that in the control group. The structure of morbidity was dominated by pathologies of the genitourinary system (27%), the circulatory system (14.4%), and the respiratory system (11.9%). Relative risks (RR > 1) were identified for most classes of diseases, the highest being for diseases of the blood (RR = 2.6), skin (RR = 2.3), and genitourinary system (RR = 1.9). In the main group, renal pathologies were the most frequent class in the age group of 30–40 years, occurring mainly in women. In addition, they had a direct dependence on the duration of residence in the territory of the uranium ore province. Further studies into the interaction between the technogenic factors associated with uranium mining enterprises and the development of diseases of the urinary system are needed. This will make it possible to determine ways to prevent these pathologies in the population.