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M Vrijheid,
E Cardis,
P Ashmore,
A Auvinen,
J-M Bae,
H Engels,
E Gilbert,
G Gulis,
Rr Habib,
G Howe, [......],
H Malker,
Cr Muirhead,
Db Richardson,
F Rodriguez-Artalejo,
A Rogel,
M Schubauer-Berigan,
H Tardy,
M Telle-Lamberton,
M Usel,
K Veress
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ABSTRACT: Ionizing radiation at very high (radio-therapeutic) dose levels can cause diseases other than cancer, particularly heart diseases. There is increasing evidence that doses of the order of a few sievert (Sv) may also increase the risk of non-cancer diseases. It is not known, however, whether such effects also occur following the lower doses and dose rates of public health concern.
We used data from an international (15-country) nuclear workers cohort study to evaluate whether mortality from diseases other than cancer is related to low doses of external ionizing radiation. Analyses included 275 312 workers with adequate information on socioeconomic status, over 4 million person-years of follow-up and an average cumulative radiation dose of 20.7 mSv; 11 255 workers had died of non-cancer diseases.
The excess relative risk (ERR) per Sv was 0.24 [95% CI (confidence intervals) -0.23, 0.78] for mortality from all non-cancer diseases and 0.09 (95% CI -0.43, 0.70) for circulatory diseases. Higher risk estimates were observed for mortality from respiratory and digestive diseases, but confidence intervals included zero. Increased risks were observed among the younger workers (attained age <50 years, identified post hoc) for all groupings of non-cancer causes of death, including external causes. It is unclear therefore whether these findings reflect real effects of radiation, random variation or residual confounding.
The most informative low-dose radiation study to date provides little evidence for a relationship between mortality from non-malignant diseases and radiation dose. However, we cannot rule out risks per unit dose of the same order of magnitude as found in studies at higher doses.
International Journal of Epidemiology 10/2007; 36(5):1126-35. · 6.41 Impact Factor
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E Cardis,
M Vrijheid,
M Blettner,
E Gilbert,
M Hakama,
C Hill,
G Howe,
J Kaldor,
C R Muirhead,
M Schubauer-Berigan, [......],
M Moser,
M S Pearce,
D B Richardson,
F Rodriguez-Artalejo,
A Rogel,
H Tardy,
M Telle-Lamberton,
I Turai,
M Usel,
K Veress
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: A 15-Country collaborative cohort study was conducted to provide direct estimates of cancer risk following protracted low doses of ionizing radiation. Analyses included 407,391 nuclear industry workers monitored individually for external radiation and 5.2 million person-years of follow-up. A significant association was seen between radiation dose and all-cause mortality [excess relative risk (ERR) 0.42 per Sv, 90% CI 0.07, 0.79; 18,993 deaths]. This was mainly attributable to a dose-related increase in all cancer mortality (ERR/Sv 0.97, 90% CI 0.28, 1.77; 5233 deaths). Among 31 specific types of malignancies studied, a significant association was found for lung cancer (ERR/Sv 1.86, 90% CI 0.49, 3.63; 1457 deaths) and a borderline significant (P = 0.06) association for multiple myeloma (ERR/Sv 6.15, 90% CI <0, 20.6; 83 deaths) and ill-defined and secondary cancers (ERR/Sv 1.96, 90% CI -0.26, 5.90; 328 deaths). Stratification on duration of employment had a large effect on the ERR/Sv, reflecting a strong healthy worker survivor effect in these cohorts. This is the largest analytical epidemiological study of the effects of low-dose protracted exposures to ionizing radiation to date. Further studies will be important to better assess the role of tobacco and other occupational exposures in our risk estimates.
Radiation Research 05/2007; 167(4):396-416. · 2.68 Impact Factor
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M Vrijheid,
E Cardis,
M Blettner,
E Gilbert,
M Hakama,
C Hill,
G Howe,
J Kaldor,
C R Muirhead,
M Schubauer-Berigan, [......], J Kurtinaitis,
H Malker,
M Moser,
F Rodriguez-Artalejo,
A Rogel,
H Tardy,
M Telle-Lamberton,
I Turai,
M Usel,
K Veress
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ABSTRACT: Radiation protection standards are based mainly on risk estimates from studies of atomic bomb survivors in Japan. The validity of extrapolations from the relatively high-dose acute exposures in this population to the low-dose, protracted or fractionated environmental and occupational exposures of primary public health concern has long been the subject of controversy. A collaborative retrospective cohort study was conducted to provide direct estimates of cancer risk after low-dose protracted exposures. The study included nearly 600,000 workers employed in 154 facilities in 15 countries. This paper describes the design, methods and results of descriptive analyses of the study. The main analyses included 407,391 nuclear industry workers employed for at least 1 year in a participating facility who were monitored individually for external radiation exposure and whose doses resulted predominantly from exposure to higher-energy photon radiation. The total duration of follow-up was 5,192,710 person-years. There were 24,158 deaths from all causes, including 6,734 deaths from cancer. The total collective dose was 7,892 Sv. The overall average cumulative recorded dose was 19.4 mSv. A strong healthy worker effect was observed in most countries. This study provides the largest body of direct evidence to date on the effects of low-dose protracted exposures to external photon radiation.
Radiation Research 05/2007; 167(4):361-79. · 2.68 Impact Factor
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M Vrijheid,
E Cardis,
P Ashmore,
A Auvinen,
J M Bae,
Hilde Engels,
Luc Holmstock,
E Gilbert,
G Gulis,
RR Habib, [......],
H Malker,
CR Muirhead,
DB Richardson,
F Rodriguez-Artalejo,
A Rogel,
M Schubauer-Berigan,
H Tardy,
M Telle-Lamberton,
M Usel,
K Veress
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[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Message to the reader : Follow-up studies demonstrate that besides cancer, also some non-cancer (i.e. cardiovascular,digestive and respiratory) diseases can be caused by high doses of ionizing radiation. In the IARC 15-country study of nuclear industry workers it was evaluated whether mortality from diseases other than cancer was related to radiation dose.
International Journal of Epidemiology. 01/2007; 36(5):1126-35.
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M Vrijheid,
E Cardis,
M Blettner,
E Gilbert,
M Hakama,
C Hill,
G Howe,
J Kaldor,
C R Muirhead,
M Schubauer-Berigan, [......], J Kurtinaitis,
H Malker,
M Moser,
F Rodriguez-Artalejo,
A Rogel,
H Tardy,
M Telle-Lamberton,
L. Turai,
M Usel,
K Veress
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ABSTRACT: In this article, the epidemiological design used in the IARC/WHO study regarding the cancer mortality risk in nuclear industry workers is presented. The study was designed as a multinational retrospective cohort study. Workers from 15 countries were included. The participating facilities completeness of vital status and cause of death ascertainment, statistical methods and characteristics of the main study population are discussed.
Radiation Research 01/2007; 167(4):361-79. · 2.68 Impact Factor
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E Cardis,
M Vrijheid,
M Blettner,
E Gilbert,
M Hakama,
C Hill,
G Howe,
J Kaldor,
C R Muirhead,
M Schubauer-Berigan, [......],
M Moser,
M S Pearce,
D B Richardson,
F Rodriguez-Artalejo,
A Rogel,
H Tardy,
M Telle-Lamberton,
I Turai,
M Usel,
K Veress
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: To provide direct estimates of risk of cancer after protracted low doses of ionising radiation and to strengthen the scientific basis of radiation protection standards for environmental, occupational, and medical diagnostic exposures.
Multinational retrospective cohort study of cancer mortality.
Cohorts of workers in the nuclear industry in 15 countries.
407 391 workers individually monitored for external radiation with a total follow-up of 5.2 million person years.
Estimates of excess relative risks per sievert (Sv) of radiation dose for mortality from cancers other than leukaemia and from leukaemia excluding chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, the main causes of death considered by radiation protection authorities.
The excess relative risk for cancers other than leukaemia was 0.97 per Sv, 95% confidence interval 0.14 to 1.97. Analyses of causes of death related or unrelated to smoking indicate that, although confounding by smoking may be present, it is unlikely to explain all of this increased risk. The excess relative risk for leukaemia excluding chronic lymphocytic leukaemia was 1.93 per Sv (< 0 to 8.47). On the basis of these estimates, 1-2% of deaths from cancer among workers in this cohort may be attributable to radiation.
These estimates, from the largest study of nuclear workers ever conducted, are higher than, but statistically compatible with, the risk estimates used for current radiation protection standards. The results suggest that there is a small excess risk of cancer, even at the low doses and dose rates typically received by nuclear workers in this study.
BMJ (Clinical research ed.). 07/2005; 331(7508):77.
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ABSTRACT: The current paper presents the methods and design of two case-control studies among Chernobyl liquidators-one of leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the other of thyroid cancer risk-carried out in Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia. The specific objective of these studies is to estimate the radiation induced risk of these diseases among liquidators of the Chernobyl accident, and, in particular, to study the effect of exposure protraction and radiation type on the risk of radiation induced cancer in the low-to-medium- (0-500 mSv) radiation dose range. The study population consists of the approximately 10000 Baltic, 40000 Belarus and 51 000 Russian liquidators who worked in the 30 km zone in 1986-1987, and who were registered in the Chernobyl registry of these countries. The studies included cases diagnosed in 1993-1998 for all countries but Belarus, where the study period was extended until 2000. Four controls were selected in each country from the national cohort for each case, matched on age, gender and region of residence. Information on study subjects was obtained through face-to-face interview using a standardised questionnaire with questions on demographic factors, time, place and conditions of work as a liquidator and potential risk and confounding factors for the tumours of interest. Overall, 136 cases and 595 controls after receiving their consent were included in the studies. A method of analytical dose reconstruction has been developed, validated and applied to the estimation of doses and related uncertainties for all the subjects in the study. Dose-response analyses are underway and results are likely to have important implications to assess the adequacy of existing protection standards, which are based on risk estimates derived from analyses of the mortality of atomic bomb survivors and other high dose studies.
Journal of Radiological Protection 10/2002; 22(3A):A137-41. · 1.39 Impact Factor
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W L Bigbee,
R H Jensen,
T Veidebaum,
M Tekkel,
M Rahu,
A Stengrevics,
A Kesminiene, J Kurtinaitis,
A Auvinen,
T Hakulinen,
K Servomaa,
T Rytömaa,
G I Obrams,
J D Boice
BMJ 05/1996; 312(7038):1078-9. · 14.09 Impact Factor
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E Cardis,
M Vrijheid,
M Blettner,
E Gilbert,
M Hakama,
C Hill,
G Howe,
J Kaldor,
C R Muirhead,
M. Schubauer-Berignan, [......],
M Moser,
M S Pearce,
D B Richardson,
F Rodriguez-Artalejo,
A Rogel,
H Tardy,
M Telle-Lamberton,
I Turai,
M Usel,
K Veress
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: In this article, the results of the IARC/WHO study regarding the cancer mortality risk in nuclear workers is presented. In this 15-country collaborative cohort study, cancer mortality information was collected on 407.000 nuclear workers monitored for external exposure. 31 specific types of malignancies were studied. Only for lung cancer there was a statistical increased mortality risk when the cumulative radiation dose increased. However, this result was driven by the Canadian subcohort, and cigarette smoking partly acted as a confounding factor. Further studies will be important to clarify these findings.
