Estimates of health risk from exposure to radioactive pollutants

Technical Report · Sun Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1981

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5963249· OSTI ID:5963249

Sullivan, R. E.; Nelson, N. S.; Ellett, W. H.; Dunning, Jr., D. E.; Leggett, R. W.; Yalcintas, M. G.; Eckerman, K. F.

A dosimetric and health effects analysis has been performed for the Office of Radiation Programs of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assess potential hazards from radioactive pollutants. Contemporary dosimetric methods were used to obtain estimates of dose rates to reference organs from internal exposures due to either inhalation of contaminated air or ingestion of contaminated food, or from external exposures due to either immersion in contaminated air or proximity to contaminated ground surfaces. These dose rates were then used to estimate the number of premature cancer deaths arising from such exposures and the corresponding number of years of life lost in a cohort of 100,000 persons, all simultaneously liveborn and all going through life with the same risks of dying from competing causes. The risk of dying from a competing cause for a given year was taken to be the probability of dying from all causes as given in a recent actuarial life table for the total US population.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 5963249
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-7745; ON: DE82002486
• 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
CRITICAL ORGANS
DATA
DATA COMPILATION
DISEASES
DOSE RATES
FORECASTING
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
INFORMATION
INGESTION
INHALATION
INTAKE
ISOTOPES
MATERIALS
MORTALITY
NEOPLASMS
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANS
POLLUTION
POPULATIONS
RADIATION HAZARDS
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
RISK ASSESSMENT
WASTES