Primary morbidity of female military personnel serving in enterprises for disposing chemical weapons with organophosphate toxic substances (2007—2016)

Relevance. On September 27, 2017, Russia announced the completion of disposal of chemical weapons with organophosphorus toxic substances. ahead of its international obligations. Besides men, military women also served in enterprises for disposal of these weapons.
Intention. To assess the impact of occupational factors on the primary morbidity of female military personnel (n = 267) served in enterprises for disposal of chemical weapons with organophosphates in 2007-2016.
Methodology. The object of the study was data on the primary morbidity of female military personnel employed in disposal of chemical weapons with organophosphates (group 1) and serving in support and service units (group 2). The results were compared with the indicators of primary morbidity of all female military personnel Armed Forces of Russia. Nosologies were correlated with the chapters of diseases by the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10).
Results and Discussion. In Group 1 of female military personnel, the primary morbidity for a number of disease categories was better than in Group 2 and all the female military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces, which can be explained by careful preliminary selection before recruting, good work organization, and timely prevention of initial health disorders and rehabilitation of the functional reserves of the body. In military women of Groups 1 and 2, compared to all the female military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces, a statistically significantly higher level of primary morbidity was revealed for mental disorders and behavioral disorders (Chapter V by ICD-10). This can be explained by the cumulative effect of mental tension during disposal of chemical weapons. Of note, the above disorders were not the leading category of primary morbidity in both female military personnel working in enterprises and in all the female military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces. In female women of Group 1 compared to all the female military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces, there was a statistically significantly higher level of diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (Chapter XIII by ICD-10). It can be assumed that negative memories of the likelihood of emergencies when moving weapons that require disposal create additional physical efforts and overstrain of individual muscles. It is appropriate to point out that diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue increased in female military personnel in all groups and overall in 2007-2016. In Group 1 of female military personnel, there was an increase in proportion of diseases from Chapter XIII vs certain stability of their percentage in all the female military personnel f the Russian Armed Forces.
Conclusion. The results obtained showed a sufficient effectiveness of preventive and protective measures during the disposal of organophosphate weapons by female military personnel.

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