Retrospective Assessment of Radiation Exposures at or Below the Minimum Detectable Level at a Federal Nuclear Reactor Facility

Tankersley, William G.; West, Charles; Watson, J. A. L.; Reagan, Jeannie L.

doi:10.1080/1047322x.1996.10389332

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…At other nuclear facilities in the US and in Britain, researchers have reported that results of external radiation dosimeters that were between zero and MDL were, in some periods, recorded as zero ( Strom, 1986;Inskip et al, 1987; National Research Council, Committee on Film Badge Dosimetry in Atmospheric Nuclear Tests, 1989;Cardis and Esteve, 1991;Taylor, 1991;Kerr, 1994;Wing et al, 1994;Tankersley et al, 1996;Mitchell et al, 1997;Watkins et al, 1997 ). Similar concerns have been raised about the Hanford dosimetry data (Kneale et al, 1991 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast to many other DOE nuclear facilities, some workers at Hanford were issued several hundred film badge dosimeters in a calendar year ( Gilbert, 1990;Wilson et al, 1990) . Since workers typically were issued many dosimeters over their period of employment, recording practices for doses near MDL can be an important issue for consideration when evaluating sources of dosimetry error (Tankersley et al, 1996 ) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluation of annual external radiation doses at values near minimum detection levels of dosimeters at the Hanford nuclear facility

Richardson

Wing

Watson

et al. 2000

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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In epidemiological studies of workers exposed to ionizing radiation, recognition of the limitations of available radiation dosimetry data is important to interpretation of a study's findings. This paper provides an investigation of external radiation dosimetry data for workers at the Hanford nuclear facility, focusing on changes over time in practices for recording dosimetry measurements that were between zero and the minimum detectable level of a radiation dosimeter. Reported annual external radiation doses for the years 1944 ± 1989 were examined for 33,459 workers; these records are the sum of periodic dosimetry measurements within a calendar year. For each year, the proportion of annual external doses with values in the range of minimum detectable level was examined. Contrary to previous researchers, we conclude that there is evidence that dosimetry measurements with values between zero and the minimum detectable level may have been recorded as zero in some historical periods. This conclusion is supported by evidence drawn from historical documentation about radiation dosimetry practices at the Hanford facility. Although workers at the Hanford facility have relatively complete and detailed external radiation dosimetry data compared to some other nuclear facilities that began operation in the 1940s, these data may suffer limitations related to dosimetry recording practices at the facility.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of annual external radiation doses at values near minimum detection levels of dosimeters at the Hanford nuclear facility

Richardson

Wing

Watson

et al. 2000

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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“…As an alternative to the assumption that values for missing annual external dosimetry records were zero, we estimated doses for years of employment at ORNL with missing records (15). Attention has also been given to potential underestimation of doses due to the practice of recording zeros for dosimetry readings that were less than the minimum detectable level of the dosimeters used at the ORNI (6,(35)(36)(37).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Richardson

Wing

1999

Environ Health Perspect

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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.

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“…Age at exposure was included among both categories to allow for change in sensitivity to cancer induction with exposure age. The other two modulating factors were exposure year (to allow for variability in standards for dose recording with changing technology and management techniques) (55,56) and interval between exposure and death or follow-up. Kneale and Stewart (57) reconfirmed their earlier finding of a statistically significant radiogenic risk for the workforce as a whole for average occupational doses considerably below the regulatory limits.…”

Section: Effects From Occupational Exposuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inconsistencies and open questions regarding low-dose health effects of ionizing radiation.

Nussbaum

Köhnlein

1994

Environ Health Perspect

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The effects on human health of exposures to ionizing radiation at low doses have long been the subject of dispute. In this paper we focus on open questions regarding the health effects of low-dose exposures that require further investigations. Seemingly contradictory findings of radiation health effects have been reported for the same exposed populations, or inconsistent estimates of radiation risks were found when different populations and exposure conditions were compared. Such discrepancies may be indicative of differences in sensitivities among the applied methods of epidemiological analysis or indicative of significant discrepancies in health consequences after comparable total exposures of different populations under varying conditions. We focus first on inconsistencies and contradictions in presentations of the state of knowledge by different authoritative experts. We then review studies that found positive associations between exposure and risks in dose ranges where traditional notions (generalized primarily from high-dose studies of A-bomb survivors or exposed animals) would have predicted negligible effects. One persistent notion in many reviews of low-dose effects is the hypothesis of reduced biological effectiveness of fractionated low-dose exposures, compared to that of the same acute dose. This assumption is not supported by data on human populations. From studies of populations that live in contaminated areas, more and more evidence is accumulating on unusual rates of various diseases other than radiation-induced malignancies, health effects that are suspected to be associated with relatively low levels of internal exposures originating from radioactive fallout. Such effects include congenital defects, neonatal mortality, stillbirths, and possibly genetically transmitted disease. A range of open questions challenges scientists to test imaginative hypotheses about induction of disease by radiation with novel research strategies.ImagesFigure 1.

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Retrospective Assessment of Radiation Exposures at or Below the Minimum Detectable Level at a Federal Nuclear Reactor Facility

Cited by 7 publications

References 5 publications

Evaluation of annual external radiation doses at values near minimum detection levels of dosimeters at the Hanford nuclear facility

Evaluation of annual external radiation doses at values near minimum detection levels of dosimeters at the Hanford nuclear facility

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

Inconsistencies and open questions regarding low-dose health effects of ionizing radiation.

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