Studies of leukemia and thyroid disease among Chernobyl clean-up workers from the Baltics

Conference · Sat Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1997

OSTI ID:527220

Inskip, P D ^[1]; Tekkel, M; Rahu, M ^[2]

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1. National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD (United States)
2. Institute of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Tallinn (Estonia); and others

Following the reactor accident at Chernobyl in late April of 1986, hundreds of thousands of men from throughout the former Soviet Union were sent to Chernobyl to entomb the damaged reactor, remove radioactive debris, and help decontaminate the local environment. They remained for an average of three months and were allowed to accumulate up to 25 cGy of radiation before being sent home. Doses for some workers may have exceeded the allowable limit. The experience of Chernobyl clean-up workers is potentially informative about cancer risk associated with protracted exposure to low levels of radiation. Cohorts of clean-up workers from the Baltic Republics were assembled for study, based on military records and other lists. The study population includes 4,833 men from Estonia 5,709 from Latvia and at least 5,446 from Lithuania, where a pilot study is underway. They are being monitored for cancer incidence through linkages with the corresponding national cancer registries. Biodosimetric assays, including fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) for chromosome translocation analysis and the glycophorin A (GPA) somatic cell mutation assay, are being used to supplement information about radiation doses from worker records and questionnaires. Thyroid screening examinations, including palpation, ultrasound and, selectively, fine-needle aspiration biopsies were performed on nearly 2,000 workers in the Estonian cohort (mean age, 40 y) during the spring of 1995, nine years after the reactor accident. The study is still in progress. Work began first in Estonia, and results presented here pertain to this subgroup except as otherwise noted. The average age at the time of arrival at Chernobyl was 31 years. 62% were sent in 1986. Possible reasons for the apparent absence or rarity of radiation-induced thyroid nodules include low and protracted doses, low susceptibility among men exposed as adults, and insufficient passage of time since the accident.

• Research Organization: National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, Bethesda, MD (United States)
• OSTI ID: 527220
• Report Number(s): CONF-960405--; CNN: Contract NO1-CP-85638-03; Contract NO1-CP-50520
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
57 HEALTH AND SAFETY
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
CHERNOBYLSK-4 REACTOR
ENDOCRINE DISEASES
EPIDEMIOLOGY
LEUKEMIA
NEOPLASMS
PERSONNEL
RADIATION DOSES
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
RISK ASSESSMENT