High incidence of neural tube defects in Bursa, Turkey.

A radiological survey of 1204 members of the population of Bursa revealed a high prevalence of spina bifida occulta (16.3%). Hospital deliveries in the area also showed a high incidence of anencephalus and spina bifida aperta (5.8 per 1000 total births) in the years 1983 to 1986. In the first 6 months of 1987, however, there was an increase in incidence to 20 per 1000 births (P less than 0.01). The possibility is raised that the Chernobyl disaster of May 1986 might have resulted in the elevation of the rate in an already susceptible population.