Nuclear installations and childhood cancer in the U. K

Conference · · Archives of Environmental Health; (USA)

OSTI ID:5733931

Goldsmith, J R ^[1]

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1. Ben Gurion Univ. of the Negev, Sheva (Israel)

The report in November 1983 of a cluster of childhood leukemia cases in the vicinity of the Sellafield (Windscale) nuclear facility on the west coast of England has led to a substantial effort to study possible excess cancer in the vicinity of British nuclear installations. Although some additional excesses were found, the causal relationship with radionuclides was thought unlikely because the estimated doses were below those established as causal of increase in human leukemia. Since 1956, we have known that diagnostic x-rays during pregnancy are associated with increased risks from childhood cancer, especially leukemia. Gardner et al. showed that excess cases near Sellafield were in children born there, and no excess occurred among in-migrants. Roman et al. showed that significant elevations in leukemia among children living near three nuclear installations in the Midlands were only at 0-5 y, suggesting that the relevant exposure was prenatal. We identify and discuss a set of epidemiological, dosage estimation, and modeling problems relevant to interpretation of such data. We conclude that: (1) a red bone marrow-based model for brief, high-level exposures of adults associated with myelogenous leukemia is inappropriate for evaluating the impact of internal emitters, relatively continuous exposures in perinatal periods in association with acute lymphatic leukemia; (2) incidence of mortality rates of childhood leukemia should be evaluated in the vicinity of nuclear installations in many countries; and (3) in contrast to nuclear reprocessing and nuclear weapons installations, there is little evidence of excess childhood leukemia among residents in areas adjacent to nuclear power installations in the U.K.

• OSTI ID: 5733931
• Report Number(s): CONF-890937--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Archives of Environmental Health; (USA) Journal Volume: 45:5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

054000 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Health & Safety
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
560151* -- Radiation Effects on Animals-- Man
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AGE GROUPS
ANIMALS
CHILDREN
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DISEASES
DOSIMETRY
EUROPE
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
IMMUNE SYSTEM DISEASES
LEUKEMIA
MAMMALS
MAN
NEOPLASMS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
POWER PLANTS
PRIMATES
RADIATION HAZARDS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
UNITED KINGDOM
VERTEBRATES