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Title: Lung cancer among Navajo uranium miners

Abstract

Lung cancer has been a rare disease among the Indians of the southwestern United States. However, the advent of uranium mining in the area has been associated with an increased incidence of lung cancer among Navajo uranium miners. This study centers on Navajo men with lung cancer who were admitted to the hospital from February 1965 to May 1979. Of a total of 17 patients with lung cancer, 16 were uranium miners, and one was a nonminer. The mean value of cumulative radon exposure for this group was 1139.5 working level months (WLMs). The predominant cancer type was the small cell undifferentiated category (62.5 percent). The low frequency of cigarette smoking in this group supports the view that radiation is the primary cause of lung cancer among uranium miners and that cigarette smoking acts as a promoting agent.

Authors:
;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Shiprock Indian Health Service Hospital and the Navajo Family Health Center, Shiprock, NM
OSTI Identifier:
6778641
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Chest; (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 81:4
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE; 29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY AND ECONOMY; AMERICAN INDIANS; EPIDEMIOLOGY; CARCINOMAS; HEALTH HAZARDS; LUNGS; MINERS; OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY; PATIENTS; PUBLIC HEALTH; RADIATION DOSES; RADON; REGIONAL ANALYSIS; STATISTICS; TOBACCO SMOKES; URANIUM ORES; AEROSOLS; BODY; COLLOIDS; DISEASES; DISPERSIONS; DOSES; ELEMENTS; FLUIDS; GASES; HAZARDS; HUMAN POPULATIONS; MATHEMATICS; MINORITY GROUPS; NEOPLASMS; NONMETALS; ORES; ORGANS; PERSONNEL; POPULATIONS; RARE GASES; RESIDUES; RESPIRATORY SYSTEM; SAFETY; SMOKES; SOLS; 552000* - Public Health; 530100 - Environmental-Social Aspects of Energy Technologies- Social & Economic Studies- (-1989)

Citation Formats

Gottlieb, L S, and Husen, L A. Lung cancer among Navajo uranium miners. United States: N. p., 1982. Web. doi:10.1378/chest.81.4.449.
Gottlieb, L S, & Husen, L A. Lung cancer among Navajo uranium miners. United States. https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.81.4.449
Gottlieb, L S, and Husen, L A. 1982. "Lung cancer among Navajo uranium miners". United States. https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.81.4.449.
@article{osti_6778641,
title = {Lung cancer among Navajo uranium miners},
author = {Gottlieb, L S and Husen, L A},
abstractNote = {Lung cancer has been a rare disease among the Indians of the southwestern United States. However, the advent of uranium mining in the area has been associated with an increased incidence of lung cancer among Navajo uranium miners. This study centers on Navajo men with lung cancer who were admitted to the hospital from February 1965 to May 1979. Of a total of 17 patients with lung cancer, 16 were uranium miners, and one was a nonminer. The mean value of cumulative radon exposure for this group was 1139.5 working level months (WLMs). The predominant cancer type was the small cell undifferentiated category (62.5 percent). The low frequency of cigarette smoking in this group supports the view that radiation is the primary cause of lung cancer among uranium miners and that cigarette smoking acts as a promoting agent.},
doi = {10.1378/chest.81.4.449},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6778641}, journal = {Chest; (United States)},
number = ,
volume = 81:4,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1982},
month = {Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1982}
}