Abstract
This paper reports on results from the study initiated by Mancuso into the health risks from low-level radiation in workers engaged in plutonium manufacture at Hanford Works, Washington State, USA, and attempts to answer criticisms of previous reports by an in-depth study. Previous reports have aroused much controversy because the reported risk per unit radiation dose for cancers of radiosensitive tissues was much greater than the risk generally accepted on the basis of other studies and widely used in setting safety levels for exposure to low-level radiation. The method of regression models in life-tables isolates the effect of radiation after statistically controlling for a wide range of possible interfering factors. Like the risk of lung cancer for uranium miners the dose-response relation showed a significant downward curve at about 10 rem. There may, therefore, be better agreement with other studies, conduct at higher doses, than is widely assumed. The findings on cancer latency (of about 25 years) and the effect of exposure age (increasing age increases the risk) are in general agreement with other studies. An unexplained finding is a significantly higher dose for all workers who developed cancers in tissues that are supposed to have low sensitivity to cancer induction by radiation.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Brown W. M., Doll R. Mortality from cancer and other causes after radiotherapy for ankylosing spondylitis. Br Med J. 1965 Dec 4;2(5474):1327–1332. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.5474.1327. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gofman J. W. The question of radiation causation of cancer in Hanford workers. Health Phys. 1979 Nov;37(5):617–639. doi: 10.1097/00004032-197911000-00001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hutchison G. B., MacMahon B., Jablon S., Land C. E. Review of report by Mancuso, Stewart and Kneale of radiation exposure of Hanford workers. Health Phys. 1979 Aug;37(2):207–220. doi: 10.1097/00004032-197908000-00003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kneale G. W., Stewart A. M. Pre-cancers and liability to other diseases. Br J Cancer. 1978 Mar;37(3):448–457. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1978.65. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Mancuso T. F., Stewart A., Kneale G. Radiation exposures of Hanford workers dying from cancer and other causes. Health Phys. 1977 Nov;33:369–385. doi: 10.1097/00004032-197711000-00002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Mole R. H. The sensitivity of the human breast to cancer induction by ionizing radiation. Br J Radiol. 1978 Jun;51(606):401–405. doi: 10.1259/0007-1285-51-606-401. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]