Studies of atomic bomb survivors: understanding radiation effects

Article Abstract:

Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been the most important source of information about the effects of sudden, whole-body exposure to radiation. Three articles in the August 1, 1990 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association report current results from studies carried out by investigators at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) in Hiroshima. However, conclusions based on the data so obtained, cannot necessarily be extrapolated to long-term, low-dose exposure. In addition, when cancer incidence related to radiation exposure is calculated, the relevance of such statistics to other populations that have different baseline cancer rates must be questioned. The substance of the RERF reports is briefly reviewed and evaluated. One valuable finding in these studies is that the genetic effects of radiation are apparently less than previously thought; congenital anomalies in the children of bomb survivors are not elevated. Somatic effects, on the other hand, arouse concern. These include cancer, abnormalities in the chromosomes of circulating white blood cells, and growth retardation, among other effects. Survivors exposed in utero may be at risk for cancer later in life, but the number of such individuals is small. Cancer is the main delayed effect of radiation exposure in the survivors; bone marrow, thyroid, and female breast tissues are the most sensitive. Lung, stomach, colon, bladder, and esophageal cancer rates are elevated, and other organs may also be affected. Studies of other groups indicate that cancer risk may be lower when exposure to radioactivity occurs over a longer time. Radiation protection standards are based, for the most part, on findings in the atomic bomb survivors. Although a consensus exists regarding the deleterious effects of large-dose radiation, the effects of small doses are much harder to evaluate. However, reasonable caution suggests the best assumption is that there is no threshold below which radiation cannot pose some sort of health hazard. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Evaluation, Reports, Measurement, Radiation measurement, editorial, Radiation Effects Research Foundation, Atomic bomb victims

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Mortality among workers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory: evidence of radiation effects in follow-up through 1984

Article Abstract:

Many occupations involve work environments that are thought to pose health hazards greater than those ordinarily encountered. Employment in energy research, particularly that involving exposure to radiation, is suspected to lead to greater mortality than is observed in the general population. This study examined the cause-specific mortality in a specified population of workers (white males) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), a US Department of Energy Research (DOE) facility. Causes of death were assessed in white males who had worked at ORNL between 1943 and 1972, but not at any other DOE facility. Records were obtained showing the amount and types of on-the-job radiation exposure. Standard mortality ratios (SMRs) of the study population were compared with those of the United States population as a whole. The results revealed that mortality due to all causes was 26 percent lower in the study group than in the general population. Most rates for specific causes of death in the ORNL workers were lower or near those of the general population, except for the rate of leukemia, which was 63 percent higher in the study group as a whole and 123 percent higher in individuals who had been exposed to internal radionuclide contamination. Mortality was also examined with regard to various sociodemographic factors and cumulative external penetrating radiation dose. Although mortality based on sociodemographic patterns was similar to that reported in previous studies, mortality increased 2.68 percent for every 10-mSv (measure of radiation exposure) increase, and cancer mortality increased 4.94 percent with increased amounts of external radiation exposure. These findings demonstrate a much stronger relation between radiation exposure and cancer than studies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors. The data are comparable to a similar study of occupational radiation exposure. Research involving longer periods of follow-up is needed. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Research, Officials and employees, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Occupational mortality

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Cancer in populations living near nuclear facilities: a survey of mortality nationwide and incidence in two states

Article Abstract:

Concern has been raised that living near a nuclear power plant increases the risk for cancer, either as a result of nuclear accidents or general plant operations. Studies from other countries have reported mixed results, some indicating that living near such facilities increases the risk of certain cancers, and some showing no such risk. Mortality from 15 kinds of cancer was assessed in 64 US counties with 62 nuclear power plants. Because radiation-induced leukemia has a latent period (from the time of exposure to the onset of symptoms) of at least 2 years, only plants that were in operation prior to 1982 were included in the study. The mortality data were compared with a set of control counties (without nuclear power plants) and with expected death rates for the US as a whole. Results showed no significant differences in relative risk for any of the cancers studied from before the nuclear facilities were opened to after they were opened. The incidence of cancer rates was studied in two states, Connecticut and Iowa. The standardized registration ratio (SRR), an indication of the incidence of cancer, was only significantly elevated in one county after a nuclear power plant started up, and this was only for one type of cancer, leukemia in children. There were almost no detectable increases in mortality from the 15 types of cancer among the populations living near the 62 nuclear power facilities. It must be pointed out that this was a survey, not an experiment, and thus has important limitations. A longer interval between start up and the development of certain types of cancer may be required. However, the results do suggest that living near nuclear power plants does not increase the likelihood of dying from cancer. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Risk assessment, Patient outcomes, Mortality, Nuclear power plants

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