Greater sensitivity to ionizing radiation at older age: follow-up of workers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory through 1990

Richardson, David B.; Wing, Steve

doi:10.1093/ije/28.3.428

Cited by 36 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…There are suggestions in these data that the solid cancer ERR increases with increasing age at first exposure or attained age (age at death) and that the leukemia ERR increases with increasing age at first exposure. These patterns appear to contradict what one would expect on the basis of the atomic bomb survivors (20,24) and mechanistic considerations (25)(26)(27)(28), but some analyses of U.S. nuclear workers have suggested similar general patterns (29,30). To try to better understand these unexpected temporal patterns, we performed some more detailed descriptive analyses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Protracted Radiation Exposure and Cancer Mortality in the Techa River Cohort

Preston²,

et al. 2005

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the 1950s many thousands of people living in rural villages on the Techa River received protracted internal and external exposures to ionizing radiation from the release of radioactive material from the Mayak plutonium production complex. The Extended Techa River Cohort includes 29,873 people born before 1950 who lived near the river sometime between 1950 and 1960. Vital status and cause of death are known for most cohort members. Individualized dose estimates have been computed using the Techa River Dosimetry System 2000. The analyses provide strong evidence of long-term carcinogenic effects of protracted low-dose-rate exposures; however, the risk estimates must be interpreted with caution because of uncertainties in the dose estimates. We provide preliminary radiation risk estimates for cancer mortality based on 1,842 solid cancer deaths (excluding bone cancer) and 61 deaths from leukemia. The excess relative risk per gray for solid cancer is 0.92 (95% CI 0.2; 1.7), while those for leukemia, including and excluding chronic lymphocytic leukemia, are 4.2 (CI 95% 1.2; 13) and 6.5 (CI 95% 1.8; 24), respectively. It is estimated that about 2.5% of the solid cancer deaths and 63% of the leukemia deaths are associated with the radiation exposure.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Protracted Radiation Exposure and Cancer Mortality in the Techa River Cohort

Preston²,

et al. 2005

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…An exception to the low overall mortality rates among ORNL workers as compared to the general population, however, is the observed excess mortality due to leukemia and illdefined causes (7,8 (8). Subsequent analyses of that subcohort reported that associations between radiation dose and cancer mortality were primarily due to radiation doses accrued at older ages (10,11,24).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies of this workforce have reported excess leukemia mortality as compared to the general population (7,8) and positive associations between cumulative external ionizing radiation dose and cancer mortality among white males at the ORNL who had not been employed at other DOE facilities (8,9). Subsequent analyses found that these dose-response associations were primarily due to the association between cancer mortality and radiation doses received at older ages (10,11). In contrast to previous studies, which focused on radiation-mortality associations among white males at the ORNL who had not been employed at other DOE facilities (7)(8)(9), we describe analyses that include all ORNL workers for whom data were adequately complete.…”

mentioning

confidence: 92%

Radiation and mortality of workers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory: positive associations for doses received at older ages.

Richardson

Wing

1999

Environ Health Perspect

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We examined associations between low-level exposure to ionizing radiation and mortality among 14,095 workers hired at the Oak Ridge Nationl Laboratory between 1943 and 1972. Workers at the facility were individually monitored for external exosure to ionizing radiation and have been followed through 1990 to ascertain cause of death information. Positive associations were observed between low-level exposure to external ionizing radiation and mortality. These associations were larger for doses received after 45 years of age, larger under longer lag assumptions, and primarily due to cancer causes of death. All cancer mortality was estimated to increase 4.98%[standard error (SE) = 1.5] per 10-mSv cumulative dose received after age 45 under a 10-year lag, and 7.31% (SE = 2.2) per 10-mSv cumulative dose received after age 45 under a 20-year lag.Associations between radiation dose and lung cancer were of similar magntude to associations between radiation dose and all cancers except lung cancer. Nonmalignant respiratory disease exhibited a positive association with cumulative radiation dose received after age 45, whereas ischemic heart disease exhibited no association with radiation dose. These findings suggest increases in cancer mortality associated with low-level external exposure to ionizing radiation and potentially greater sensitivity to the carcinogenic efcs of ionizing radiation with older ages at exposure.

show abstract

“…specified using information derived from prior epidemiologic research on a cohort of US nuclear workers [Richardson and Wing, 1999]. National and state mortality rate data provide an alternative to occupational cohort data as a source of information to use for this purpose.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%