Brain tumor risk among United States nuclear workers

Journal Article · Tue Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · State Art Reviews in Occupational Medicine; (United States)

OSTI ID:5943245

Alexander, V ^[1]

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1. Enviro-Medicine Associates, New Orleans, LA (Unites States)

This review of ten carefully conducted cohort mortality studies of U.S. workers in the nuclear industry published during the past decade finds a significantly increased brain cancer risk. There is a high degree of consistency between these studies, as eight out of ten cohorts, individually, show comparable increased risks. A sensitivity analysis that selects the studies of highest quality yields similar increased risk estimates from brain cancer, no matter how the studies are grouped. Those index studies that provide radiation dose exposure information show stable excess brain cancer risks of 15% at cumulative doses of less than 5 rem. There are no obvious environmental or geographical confounders likely to explain this consistently observed excess brain cancer risk. Occupational chemical exposures may contribute to this excess brain cancer risk among nuclear workers, but the only apparent common factor in ten cohorts with quite diverse work environments is the potential for exposure to ionizing radiation. Overall, these index studies of more than 78,000 workers followed for an average of 21 years, with more than 1.6 million person years of observation, establish that there is a statistically significant 15% excess risk of brain cancer for workers in the U.S. nuclear industry who have low-dose average cumulative radiation exposures.55 references.

• OSTI ID: 5943245
• Journal Information: State Art Reviews in Occupational Medicine; (United States), Journal Name: State Art Reviews in Occupational Medicine; (United States) Vol. 6:4; ISSN SAOME; ISSN 0885-114X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560151* -- Radiation Effects on Animals-- Man
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
BODY
BRAIN
CARCINOGENESIS
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
DISEASES
IONIZING RADIATIONS
IRRADIATION
LOW DOSE IRRADIATION
MORTALITY
NEOPLASMS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
ORGANS
PATHOGENESIS
PERSONNEL
RADIATIONS
RADIOINDUCTION
RISK ASSESSMENT
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS