Mortality Among Soviet and Russian Cosmonauts: 1960–2013

Details

• Personal Author:
  Day SM ; Nurgalieva ZZ ; Reynolds RJ
• Description:
  Introduction: Though the mortality of U.S. astronauts has been studied repeatedly in the last 20 yr, little is known about the long-term mortality trends of Soviet and Russian cosmonauts. Methods: Using data from 266 cosmonauts accepted into cosmonaut training from 1960 to 2013, we document the causes of death and crude death rates among cosmonauts. Using standardized mortality ratios (SMR), we compared cosmonauts to the general populations of Russia and Ukraine, and to 330 U.S. astronauts. Results: Cosmonauts experienced significantly lower all-cause mortality risk compared to the general population. However, cosmonauts were at almost double the risk of all-cause mortality in comparison to U.S. astronauts (SMR = 190, 95% C.I. 154-239). Cosmonauts were also at greater risk of circulatory disease (SMR = 364, 95% C.I. 225-557) and cancer (SMR = 177, 95% C.I. 108-274) compared to U.S. astronauts. Though not statistically significant, cosmonauts experienced fewer fatal accidents (SMR = 88, 95% C.I. = 54-136) than their U.S. counterparts. Discussion: Cosmonauts are at much lower risk of all-cause mortality than the general populations of Russia and Ukraine, yet are at greater risk for death by cardiovascular disease and cancer than are U.S. astronauts. This disparity may have common roots with decreases in life expectancy in Russia in recent decades. Further research is needed to understand these trends fully. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Epidemiology Mortality Neoplasms Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Astronauts Author Keywords: Astronauts Cancer Rates Circulatory System Death Life Expectancy Mortality Data
• ISSN:
  0095-6562
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 6 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  85
• Issue:
  7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064388
• Citation:
  Aviat Space Environ Med 2014 Jul; 85(7):750-754
• Contact Point Address:
  Robert J. Reynolds, Ph.D., Mortality Research & Consulting, Inc.,17700 Castleton St., Ste. 586, City of Industry, CA 91748
• Email:
  rreynolds@mortalityresearch.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• Performing Organization:
  University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6ba05ad0e14738c45b06e15b1f389822ab5251d51d0ba48bf7de781b414d9e26a418fbae98fbdd52d293a14fb8b92e5930effab831ef15efa81faf589b613dd9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/222853/cdc_222853_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 472.02 KB ]