Re: Abortion estimates post Chernobyl

[isurveyor@vianet.net.au (Ivor Suveyor)]

Re Abortions following Chernobyl.  

 There is a short note by Trichopoulos D, ZavitsanosX et al  in the Brit Med
J  1987;295:1100

The authors attempted to estimate the number of abortions performed in Geece
post Chernobyl.

The authors used data from 1981 to 1986 to estimate by regression, what
should have been the number of live births in the period Jan, Feb, mar 1987.
and compared this with the reported number of live births over the same time
frame.. 

They estimated that 23% of pregancies were terminated because of radiation
fear in Greece.   They also claim that this empirical estimate is in keeping
with IAEA as quoted in JNM 1987;28:933-42.

I would suggest that  Trichopoulos D  et al have used a reasonable approach
to get a rough empirical estimate of numbers. 

Ivor Surveyor


>
Ivor Surveyor
Emeritus Consultant Physician, Nuclear Medicine. 
E-mail:    isurveyor@vianet.net.au