FRIDAY, Jan. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Crewmembers of a specific Norwegian missile torpedo boat (MTB) have a higher risk of stillbirth or congenital defects in their offspring than those from other boats in the same class, according to the January issue of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Although the reason is unclear, the authors suggest one cause may be the use of a high-frequency transmitter or other equipment on the boat.
The Royal Norwegian Navy requested a hazardous exposure investigation after members serving aboard the MTB KNM Kvikk in the 1990s reported an unusually high incidence of congenital anomalies in their children. In 2002, Nils Mageroy, M.D., from the University of Bergen in Norway, and colleagues sent questionnaires to over 2,000 members of the Navy, civilian and military, regardless of their duties.
The investigators found that working aboard the KNM Kvikk was associated with a fourfold higher risk for birth defects and a 4.1-fold risk for having a stillborn child compared with working on other ships. Crewmembers may have had higher exposure to electromagnetic fields. A 750 watt high-frequency transmitter was used only on this boat from 1987 to 1994 for use in "electronic warfare," the authors note.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
