Vuurwerkramp Enschede: Stoffen in bloed en urine;rapportage van het gezondheidsonderzoek

摘要

On May 13th, 2000, a firework storage facility with 177 tons of heavyfireworks exploded in a residential area in Enschede, The Netherlands. The series of three explosions and subsequent fire killed 22 and injuredover 900 people and some 400 homes were destroyed. The Dutch governmentdeclared a national disaster and a survey was launched to study potentialexposure to substances and psycho-trauma, and to assess current physicaland psychological health of victims and relief workers, as part of alarger health care programme for the victims. The data collection wasperformed between 30th May and 7th June, and the first results werereported within 8 weeks of the disaster. This report addresses theassessment of the body burden of specific disaster-related-components inblood and urine among the full study population of 4000 residents andrelief workers. Blood and urine samples were collected and analysed byICP-MS for barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), chrome (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel(Ni), lead (Pb), antimony (Sb), strontium (Sr), titanium (Ti) and zinc(Zn). Measured values were compared with reference values of comparablepopulations based on the scientific literature. To assess differences inblood and urine levels between potentially different exposed groups(based on questionnaire information) of residents or relief workers,multiple regression analyses were performed with adjustment for potentialconfounders. No systematic increases of blood and urine levels werefound in the residential group (including children) nor in the reliefworkers. Regression analyses showed no consistent pattern betweenpotential exposure and blood or urine levels. Based on the comparison toreference levels in combination to the regression results, the overallconclusion of the study is that for the elements under study no elevatedbody burdens due to the firework disaster weredemonstrated.