Childhood Leukaemia Incidence Around French Nuclear Installations Using Geographic Zoning Based on Gaseous Discharge Dose Estimates

Abstract

The present study investigated for the first time the incidence of childhood leukaemia (1990 -2001) around French nuclear installations using a geographic zoning based on estimated doses to the red bone marrow due to gaseous radioactive discharges. The observed number of cases of acute leukaemia (O ¼ 750) in 40 km 2 centred on 23 French nuclear installations between 1990 and 2001 was lower than expected (E ¼ 795.01), although not significantly so (standardised incidence ratio SIR ¼ 0.94, 95% confidence interval ¼ (0.88 -1.01)). In none of the five zones defined on the basis of the estimated doses was the SIR significantly 41. There was no evidence of a trend in SIR with the estimated doses for all the children or for any of the three age groups studied. This study confirmed that there was no evidence of an increased incidence of childhood leukaemia around the 23 French nuclear sites.

Lung Cancer Risk from Radon and Progeny and Statement on Radon

“…(38) Epidemiological studies have been conducted on the possible association between leukaemia and indoor radon concentrations (Laurier et al, 2001;Raaschou-Nielsen, 2008). An association between childhood leukaemia and domestic radon exposure has been observed in some ecological studies, including the recent findings of Evrard et al (2005Evrard et al ( , 2006. Several large-scale case-control studies that included alpha track measurements in the homes of all subjects were unable to confirm an association between radon exposure and the risk of leukaemia (Lubin et al, 1998;Steinbuch et al, 1999;UK Childhood Cancer Study Investigators, 2002).…”