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Certain indices of population morbidity and mortality are indicators of some sort 

 of increase in the ecological stress throughout the area. 



From 1950 through 1990, unfavorable trends were revealed in this region in the 

 dynamics of cancer morbidity. They were characterized by a progressive growth trend, 

 close to a linear one (the increase in primary morbidity indices was 4.6 times). The most 

 unfavorable changes in primary morbidity indices were observed for malignant 

 respiratory timiors (an increase by more than 50 times), malignant skin tumors (by 3.4 

 times), malignant breast tumors (by 4.6 times). 



The incidence of malignant digestive organ tumors also increased, but during the 

 recent decade, the trend has stabilized and even shown a decrease. 



An increase in the morbidity indices was also observed for hematologic neoplasms 

 (primary morbidity rose by 1.2 times, susceptibility to disease by 2.4 times). Yet their 

 (fynamics showed periods of increase (1974-1975 and 1989-1990) and decrease (1979- 

 1980). 



Other malignant tumors, examined separately, manifested either stabilization of 

 primary morbidity (malignant tumors of the urogenital organs), or decrease (malignant 

 tumors of the cervix), while susceptibility to the disease increased. 



Among other indicative nosologies, the most imfavorable changes were 

 characteristic of the morbidity of children in the region (up to 14 years of age) with 

 anemia due to iron deficiency (an increase in primary morbidity was 4.7 times), neonatal 

 morbidity (indices increased by 2J times), including the hemolytic disease (by 2J times), 

 and congenital anomalies (by 1.8 times). There has been an unfavorable trend in the 

 frequency of toxemias of the second half of pregnancy. 



The mortality from malignant tumors has increased markedly in the region: by 6.9 

 times for the entire population, by 9.1 times for men, and by 5.2 times for women. 



Since the mid-1960's, male mortality from malignant tumors has been higher than 

 that of women, emd the gap has been widening (from 1.1 times in 1970 to 1.5 times in 

 1990). An increase in the level of mortality from oncological diseases is characteristic of 

 all major age groups of the population. The mortality index for the working-age 

 population increased by 3.8 times; for retirees by 6 times; and for children by 18.3 times. 



Of all malignant tumors, those of the digestive organs have been the leading cause 

 of mortality in the region. Mortality from this cause progressively increased from 17.7% 

 in 1950 to 64.9% in 1990. Men displayed higher mortality from this cause than women. 

 Most individuals who died from malignant tiunors of the digestive organs were in the 

 retirement age group. 



