skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Updated mortality analysis of radiation workers at Rocketdyne (Atomics International), 1948-2008

Abstract

Updated analyses of mortality data are presented on 5,801 radiation workers, including 2,232 monitored for radionuclide intakes, and 41,169 non-radiation workers employed 1948-1999 at Rocketdyne (Atomics International). The worker population is unique in that lifetime occupational doses from all places of employment were sought and incorporated into the analyses. Further, radiation doses from intakes of 14 different radionuclides were calculated for 16 organs or tissues using biokinetic models of the International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP). The mean dose from external radiation was 13.5 mSv (maximum 1 Sv), and the mean lung dose from external and internal radiation combined was 19.0 mSv (maximum 3.6 Sv). An additional nine years of follow-up, from December 31,1999 through 2008, increased the person-years of observation by 21.7% to 196,674 (mean 33.9 years) and the number of cancer deaths by 50% to 684. Analyses included comparisons with the general population and the computation of standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), and internal comparisons using proportional hazards models. All cancers taken together (SMR 0.88; 95% CI 0.81-0.95), lung cancer (SMR 0.87; 95% CI 0.76-1.00) and leukemia other than chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) (SMR 1.04; 95% 0.67-1.53) were not significantly elevated. Cox regression analyses revealed no significant dose-response trendsmore » for any cancer. For all cancers excluding leukemia, the relative risk (RR) at 100 mSv was estimated as 0.98 (95% CI 0.82-1.17) and for all leukemia other than CLL it was 1.06 (95% CI 0.50-2.23). Uranium was the primary radionuclide contributing to internal exposures, but significant increases in lung and kidney disease were not seen. The extended follow-up re-enforces the findings in the previous study in failing to observe a detectable increase in cancer deaths associated with radiation, but strong conclusions still cannot be drawn because of small numbers and relatively low career doses. Larger combined studies of early workers in the United States following similar methodologies are warranted to refine and clarify radiation risks following protracted exposures.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [1];  [5]
  1. Vanderbilt University
  2. IEI
  3. ORNL
  4. LRRI
  5. University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
Work for Others (WFO)
OSTI Identifier:
1023350
DOE Contract Number:  
DE-AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Radiation Research
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 176; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 0033--7587
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY; DISEASES; EMPLOYMENT; KIDNEYS; LEUKEMIA; LIFETIME; LUNGS; MORTALITY; NEOPLASMS; ORGANS; RADIATION DOSES; RADIATION PROTECTION; RADIATIONS; RADIOISOTOPES; URANIUM

Citation Formats

Boice, John, Cohen, Sarah, Mumma, Michael, Ellis, Elizabeth D, Eckerman, Keith F, Leggett, Richard Wayne, Boecker, Bruce, Brill, Bertrand, and Henderson, Brian. Updated mortality analysis of radiation workers at Rocketdyne (Atomics International), 1948-2008. United States: N. p., 2011. Web. doi:10.1667/RR2487.1.
Boice, John, Cohen, Sarah, Mumma, Michael, Ellis, Elizabeth D, Eckerman, Keith F, Leggett, Richard Wayne, Boecker, Bruce, Brill, Bertrand, & Henderson, Brian. Updated mortality analysis of radiation workers at Rocketdyne (Atomics International), 1948-2008. United States. https://doi.org/10.1667/RR2487.1
Boice, John, Cohen, Sarah, Mumma, Michael, Ellis, Elizabeth D, Eckerman, Keith F, Leggett, Richard Wayne, Boecker, Bruce, Brill, Bertrand, and Henderson, Brian. 2011. "Updated mortality analysis of radiation workers at Rocketdyne (Atomics International), 1948-2008". United States. https://doi.org/10.1667/RR2487.1.
@article{osti_1023350,
title = {Updated mortality analysis of radiation workers at Rocketdyne (Atomics International), 1948-2008},
author = {Boice, John and Cohen, Sarah and Mumma, Michael and Ellis, Elizabeth D and Eckerman, Keith F and Leggett, Richard Wayne and Boecker, Bruce and Brill, Bertrand and Henderson, Brian},
abstractNote = {Updated analyses of mortality data are presented on 5,801 radiation workers, including 2,232 monitored for radionuclide intakes, and 41,169 non-radiation workers employed 1948-1999 at Rocketdyne (Atomics International). The worker population is unique in that lifetime occupational doses from all places of employment were sought and incorporated into the analyses. Further, radiation doses from intakes of 14 different radionuclides were calculated for 16 organs or tissues using biokinetic models of the International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP). The mean dose from external radiation was 13.5 mSv (maximum 1 Sv), and the mean lung dose from external and internal radiation combined was 19.0 mSv (maximum 3.6 Sv). An additional nine years of follow-up, from December 31,1999 through 2008, increased the person-years of observation by 21.7% to 196,674 (mean 33.9 years) and the number of cancer deaths by 50% to 684. Analyses included comparisons with the general population and the computation of standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), and internal comparisons using proportional hazards models. All cancers taken together (SMR 0.88; 95% CI 0.81-0.95), lung cancer (SMR 0.87; 95% CI 0.76-1.00) and leukemia other than chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) (SMR 1.04; 95% 0.67-1.53) were not significantly elevated. Cox regression analyses revealed no significant dose-response trends for any cancer. For all cancers excluding leukemia, the relative risk (RR) at 100 mSv was estimated as 0.98 (95% CI 0.82-1.17) and for all leukemia other than CLL it was 1.06 (95% CI 0.50-2.23). Uranium was the primary radionuclide contributing to internal exposures, but significant increases in lung and kidney disease were not seen. The extended follow-up re-enforces the findings in the previous study in failing to observe a detectable increase in cancer deaths associated with radiation, but strong conclusions still cannot be drawn because of small numbers and relatively low career doses. Larger combined studies of early workers in the United States following similar methodologies are warranted to refine and clarify radiation risks following protracted exposures.},
doi = {10.1667/RR2487.1},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1023350}, journal = {Radiation Research},
issn = {0033--7587},
number = 2,
volume = 176,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2011},
month = {Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2011}
}