A meta-analysis of leukaemia risk from protracted exposure to low-dose gamma radiation

Details

• Personal Author:
  Daniels, Robert D. ; Schubauer-Berigan, Mary K.
• Description:
  More than 400,000 workers annually receive a measurable radiation dose and may be at increased risk of radiation-induced leukaemia. It is unclear whether leukaemia risk is elevated with protracted, low-dose exposure. OBJECTIVE: We conducted a meta-analysis examining the relationship between protracted low-dose ionising radiation exposure and leukaemia. DATA SOURCES: Reviews by the National Academies and United Nations provided a summary of informative studies published before 2005. PubMed and Embase databases were searched for additional occupational and environmental studies published between 2005 and 2009. STUDY SELECTION: We selected 23 studies that: (1) examined the association between protracted exposures to ionising radiation and leukaemia excluding chronic lymphocytic subtype; (2) were a cohort or nested case-control design without major bias; (3) reported quantitative estimates of exposure; and (4) conducted exposure-response analyses using relative or excess RR per unit exposure. METHODS: Studies were further screened to reduce information overlap. Random effects models were developed to summarise between-study variance and obtain an aggregate estimate of the excess RR at 100 mGy. Publication bias was assessed by trim and fill and Rosenthal's file drawer methods. RESULTS: We found an ERR at 100 mGy of 0.19 (95% CI 0.07 to 0.32) by modelling results from 10 studies and adjusting for publication bias. Between-study variance was not evident (p=0.99). CONCLUSIONS: Protracted exposure to low-dose gamma radiation is significantly associated with leukaemia. Our estimate agreed well with the leukaemia risk observed among exposed adults in the Life Span Study (LSS) of atomic bomb survivors, providing increased confidence in the current understanding of leukaemia risk from ionising radiation. However, unlike the estimates obtained from the LSS, our model provides a precise, quantitative summary of the direct estimates of excess risk from studies of protracted radiation exposures. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Blood Hematologic Diseases Occupational Health Radiation Radiation Injuries Risk Assessment Safety
• Keywords:
  Blood-disorders Dose-response Gamma-radiation Ionizing-radiation Leukemogenesis Quantitative-analysis Radiation-exposure Radiation-injury Risk-analysis
• ISSN:
  1351-0711
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  457-464
• Volume:
  68
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20037763
• Citation:
  Occup Environ Med 2011 Jun; 68(6):457-464
• Contact Point Address:
  Robert D Daniels, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies, R-14, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• Email:
  RTD2@CDC.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing ; Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d8ad366bd97d097bcdb2b7473e0c2efc11135661e4c3b126c8d712930761334525129c7e49ffa66a71cd76c27555129090090af013119c6bf747b6c12cb9405d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/191747/cdc_191747_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 204.79 KB ]