Associations Between Occupational Ionizing Radiation Exposure and Cancer Mortality: An Update of the Pooled US Nuclear Workers Study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bertke S ; Daniels, Robert D. ; Kelly-Reif K ; Richardson DB ; Schubauer-Berigan, Mary K.
• Description:
  Introduction: Studies of nuclear workers provide insights into the health effects of ionizing radiation at levels relevant to contemporary workers and the general public. We evaluated the association between penetrating ionizing radiation exposure and cancer mortality subtypes in a large pooled cohort of US nuclear workers. Follow-up was extended an additional decade to improve power and examine cancers with longer latency. Materials and Methods: The pooled cohort includes 101,363 workers from five US Department of Energy and Department of Defense nuclear facilities, followed for causes of death between 1944 and 2016. Workers were individually monitored for ionizing radiation exposure with the use of personal dosimeter badges. The association between cumulative external penetrating ionizing radiation exposure and cancer subtypes were modeled as the excess relative rate per Sievert (ERR Sv-1) using Cox regression. Results: There were 13,568 cancer deaths during follow-up. We observed positive associations between ionizing radiation exposure and all solid cancer mortality (ERR Sv-1=0.19; 95%CI: -0.10, 0.52), and all lymphatic and hematopoietic cancers (ERR Sv-1=2.10; 95%CI: 0.97, 3.48). These associations were stronger among a contemporary sub cohort of workers first hired 1960 or later for both solid cancer (ERR Sv-1= 2.23; 95% CI: 1.13, 3.49) and all lymphatic and hematopoietic cancers (ERR Sv-1= 6.26; 95%CI: 2.86, 10.83). Additionally, we observed positive associations for several site specific lymphatic and hematopoietic cancer types, as well as lung cancer. In some instances, we observed modification by time since exposure and age at exposure. Conclusions: This analysis confirms the association between low dose, low dose-rate radiation and leukemias, and strengthens the evidence base supporting the radiogenic nature of some solid cancers. The extended follow-up, individual dosimetry, and precise estimates provided by this large pooled analysis can better inform current radiological protection models. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cohort Studies Epidemiology Mortality Neoplasms Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Cancer Rates Cohort Studies Ionizing Radiation Mortality Rates Nuclear Energy
• ISSN:
  1351-0711
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering ; WTCHP - World Trade Center Health Program
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  80
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068663
• Citation:
  Occup Environ Med 2023 Mar; 80(Suppl 1):A60-A61
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 29th International Symposium on Epidemiology in Occupational Health (EPICOH 2023), March 14-17, 2023, Mumbai, India
• Supplement:
  1
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0347e5fb9ac507941b3d2abcfa967b05b782d747ce142abc7a937bb66120504f15f2e1fdcb9a53c27ebfb0500a20c858dec582d8c490e015aebb3507e744f67d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207254/cdc_207254_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 67.22 KB ]