Occupational Radiation Exposure and Risk of Cataract Incidence in a Cohort of US Radiologic Technologists

Details

• Personal Author:
  Alexander BH ; Bernier M-O ; Borrego D ; Cahoon EK ; Doody MM ; Hamada N ; Kitahara CM ; Linet MS ; Little MP ; Meyer C ; Miller JS ; Preston DL ; Simon SL ; Velazquez-Kronen, Raquel
• Description:
  It has long been known that relatively high-dose ionising radiation exposure (>1 Gy) can induce cataract, but there has been no evidence that this occurs at low doses (<100 mGy). To assess low-dose risk, participants from the US Radiologic Technologists Study, a large, prospective cohort, were followed from date of mailed questionnaire survey completed during 1994-1998 to the earliest of self-reported diagnosis of cataract/cataract surgery, cancer other than non-melanoma skin, or date of last survey (up to end 2014). Cox proportional hazards models with age as timescale were used, adjusted for a priori selected cataract risk factors (diabetes, body mass index, smoking history, race, sex, birth year, cumulative UVB radiant exposure). 12,336 out of 67,246 eligible technologists reported a history of diagnosis of cataract during 832,479 person years of follow-up, and 5509 from 67,709 eligible technologists reported undergoing cataract surgery with 888,420 person years of follow-up. The mean cumulative estimated 5-year lagged eye-lens absorbed dose from occupational radiation exposures was 55.7 mGy (interquartile range 23.6-69.0 mGy). Five-year lagged occupational radiation exposure was strongly associated with self-reported cataract, with an excess hazard ratio/mGy of 0.69 × 10-3 (95% CI 0.27 × 10-3 to 1.16 × 10-3, p < 0.001). Cataract risk remained statistically significant (p = 0.030) when analysis was restricted to < 100 mGy cumulative occupational radiation exposure to the eye lens. A non-significantly increased excess hazard ratio/mGy of 0.34 × 10-3 (95% CI - 0.19 × 10-3 to 0.97 × 10-3, p = 0.221) was observed for cataract surgery. Our results suggest that there is excess risk for cataract associated with radiation exposure from low-dose and low dose-rate occupational exposures. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Environmental Exposure Eye Genetics Neoplasms Occupational Health Race Factors Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Sense Organs Smokers Surveys And Questionnaires

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• Keywords:
  Age Groups Author Keywords: Cataract BMI Body Mass Index Cancer Cataract Surgery Diabetes Exposure Levels Eye Diseases Eyes Eyesight Hazards Ionising Radiation Low Dose Rate Models Questionnaire-based Assessment Questionnaires Racial Factors Radiation Exposure Risk Factors Smoking Statistical Analysis Threshold Tissue Reaction Effects

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• ISSN:
  0393-2990
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Minnesota ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  33
• Issue:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20052665
• Citation:
  Eur J Epidemiol 2018 Dec; 33(12):1179-1191
• Contact Point Address:
  Mark P. Little, Radiation Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Department of Health and Human Services, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778
• Email:
  mark.little@nih.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  European Journal of Epidemiology
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9e084db6f053645a371daf34aad66fac7ee4ac9d52a67666d82f8122b8e98d35d1c8e62df960846b8242a5797d52d2d65b063e37b5c799ce5fa1f1b9ab06d9c9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/212164/cdc_212164_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 517.29 KB ]