Fifty Years of Plutonium Exposure to the Manhattan Project Plutonium Workers

Voelz, G.L.; Lawrence, James N. P.; Johnson, Erika

doi:10.1097/00004032-199710000-00004

Cited by 56 publications

(29 citation statements)

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“…In a study of 15 727 men employed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Wiggs et al (1994) found that no cause of death was significantly elevated among 303 plutonium-exposed (>74 Bq) workers when compared with other workers. They did observe, however, a non-significant excess of lung cancers among the former group and also a case of osteogenic sarcoma which was in one of the 26 workers on the Manhattan project known to have been exposed to plutonium (Voelz et al, 1997). It is notable that despite the comparatively large radiation doses to the bone surfaces, lungs and liver (Table 2) among Sellafield plutonium workers, no death from bone cancer was observed, the lung cancer mortality rate was similar to that of other radiation workers and non-radiation workers and there was a significant deficit of deaths from liver cancer among plutonium workers (Table 4).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Cancer mortality and morbidity among plutonium workers at the Sellafield plant of British Nuclear Fuels

1999

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SummaryThe mortality of all 14 319 workers employed at the Sellafield plant of British Nuclear Fuels between 1947 and 1975 was studied up to the end of 1992, and cancer incidence was examined from 1971 to 1986, in relation to their exposures to plutonium and to external radiation. The cancer mortality rate was 5% lower than that of England and Wales and 3% less than that of Cumbria. The significant excesses of deaths from cancer of the pleura and thyroid found in an earlier study persist with further follow-up (14 observed, 4.0 expected for pleura; 6 observed, 2.2 expected for thyroid). All of the deaths from pleural cancer were among radiation workers. For neither site was there a significant association between the risk of the cancer and accumulated radiation dose. There were significant deficits of deaths from cancers of mouth and pharynx, liver and gall bladder, and larynx and leukaemia when compared with the national rates. Among all radiation workers, there was a significant positive association between accumulated external radiation dose and mortality from cancers of ill-defined and secondary sites (10-year lag, P = 0.04), leukaemia (no lag, P = 0.03; 2-year lag, P = 0.05), multiple myeloma (20-year lag, P = 0.02), all lymphatic and haematopoietic cancers (20-year lag, P = 0.03) and all causes of death combined (20-year lag, P = 0.008). Among plutonium workers, there were significant excesses of deaths from cancer of the breast (6 observed, 2.6 expected) and ill-defined and secondary cancers (29 observed, 20.1 expected). No significant positive trends were observed between the risk of deaths from cancers of any specific site, or all cancers combined, and cumulative plutonium and external radiation doses. For no cancer site was there a significant excess of cancer registrations compared with rates for England and Wales. Analysis of trends in cancer incidence showed significant increases in risk with cumulative plutonium plus external radiation doses for all lymphatic and haematopoietic neoplasms for 0-, 10-and 20-year lag periods. Taken as a whole, our findings do not suggest that workers at Sellafield who have been exposed to plutonium are at an overall significantly increased risk of cancer compared with other radiation workers.Keywords: radiation; plutonium; nuclear workers; cohort; mortality; cancer incidence 1288British Journal of Cancer (1999) 79(7/8), 1288-1301 © 1999 Cancer Research Campaign Article no. bjoc.1998 Received 18 May 1998 Accepted 27 May 1998 Correspondence to: PG Smith *Present address: Department of Medical Statistics and Evaluation, Imperial College School of Medicine, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK. Cancer risks among plutonium workers 1289British Journal of Cancer (1999) 79(7/8), 1288-1301 © Cancer Research Campaign 1999 plutonium since it was first produced in the plant. The most likely route of exposure has been through inhalation, and monitoring has been conducted principally through the analysis of urine samples collected from workers. These monitoring data have been ass...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Cancer mortality and morbidity among plutonium workers at the Sellafield plant of British Nuclear Fuels

1999

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“…Our study is generally consistent with these previous observations in that no increase in cancer was seen and nonmalignant diseases of the lung, kidney, and liver were not increased among residents of Armstrong and Westmoreland counties. Workers occupationally exposed to plutonium in the United States and United Kingdom have not been found to have a statistically significant high risk of developing cancer (Voelz et al 1997;Omar et al 1999;IARC 2001). Workers in the former Soviet Union, however, were found to be at a statistically significant high risk of developing cancers of the lung, bone, and liver following enormous intakes of plutonium in the 1940's and early 1950's during the production of nuclear weapons at the Mayak facility (IARC 2001;Gilbert et al 2000Gilbert et al , 2004Koshurnikova et al 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

County Mortality and Cancer Incidence in Relation to Living near Two Former Nuclear Materials Processing Facilities in Pennsylvania—An Update

Boice¹,

Bigbee

Mumma³

et al. 2009

Health Physics

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A previous county mortality study of populations living near two nuclear materials processing and fabrication facilities in Westmoreland and Armstrong counties in Pennsylvania (1950-1995) was extended through 2004. Noncancer mortality (1996-2004) and cancer incidence (1990-2004) were also evaluated. Among the Westmoreland and Armstrong populations, 10,547 cancer deaths occurred during the period 1996 through 2004 and the relative risk (RR) based on comparisons with six demographically similar counties in western Pennsylvania was 0.97, that is, almost exactly as expected, and no different from our previously published analyses covering the years 1950-1995. The results based on cancer incidence data were very similar to those based on cancer mortality data. Over the years 1990 though 2004, 39,350 incident cancers were reported among residents of Armstrong and Westmoreland counties and the RR based on the six demographically similar counties was 0.99, that is, almost exactly as expected. The number of deaths from nonmalignant conditions was 36,565 and very close to the number expected (RR 1.01). Overall, no increases in cancer or nonmalignant diseases could be attributed to living in counties with nuclear materials processing and fabrication facilities.

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“…Both body burdens and organ doses from plutonium and external doses have been analyzed in a variety of ways (Koshurnikova et al 1998Gilbert et al 2000;IARC 2001;Kreisheimer et al 2003;Shilnikova et al 2003). In the United States, dose-response analyses have been conducted of internal intakes of plutonium, but body burdens and not organ doses were used (Wiggs et al 1994;Wilkinson et al 1987;Voelz et al 1997). In contrast to the Mayak studies, the body burdens were quite low in the U.S. worker studies, most on the order of 100 Bq, or about 50 times lower than those in Russian workers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comprehensive Dose Reconstruction Methodology for Former Rocketdyne/Atomics International Radiation Workers

Boice

Leggett²,

Ellis³

et al. 2006

Health Physics

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Incomplete radiation exposure histories, inadequate treatment of internally deposited radionuclides, and failure to account for neutron exposures can be important uncertainties in epidemiologic studies of radiation workers. Organ-specific doses from lifetime occupational exposures and radionuclide intakes were estimated for an epidemiologic study of 5,801 Rocketdyne/Atomics International (AI) radiation workers engaged in nuclear technologies between 1948 and 1999. The entire workforce of 46,970 Rocketdyne/AI employees was identified from 35,042 Kardex work histories cards, 26,136 electronic personnel listings, and 14,189 radiation folders containing individual exposure histories. To obtain prior and subsequent occupational exposure information, the roster of all workers was matched against nationwide dosimetry files from the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Landauer dosimetry company, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Air Force. Dosimetry files of other worker studies were also accessed. Computation of organ doses from radionuclide intakes was complicated by the diversity of bioassay data collected over a 40-y period (urine and fecal samples, lung counts, whole-body counts, nasal smears, and wound and incident reports) and the variety of radionuclides with documented intake including isotopes of uranium, plutonium, americium, calcium, cesium, cerium, zirconium, thorium, polonium, promethium, iodine, zinc, strontium, and hydrogen (tritium). Over 30,000 individual bioassay measurements, recorded on 11 different bioassay forms, were abstracted. The bioassay data were evaluated using ICRP biokinetic models recommended in current or upcoming ICRP documents (modified for one inhaled material to reflect site-specific information) to estimate annual doses for 16 organs or tissues taking into account time of exposure, type of radionuclide, and excretion patterns. Detailed internal exposure scenarios were developed and annual internal doses were derived on a case-by-case basis for workers with committed equivalent doses indicated by screening criteria to be greater than 10 mSv to the organ with the highest internal dose. Overall, 5,801 workers were monitored for radiation at Rocketdyne/AI: 5,743 for external exposure and 2,232 for internal intakes of radionuclides; 41,169 workers were not monitored for radiation. The mean cumulative external dose based on Rocketdyne/AI records alone was 10.0 mSv, and the dose distribution was highly skewed with most workers experiencing low cumulative doses and only a few with high doses (maximum 500 mSv). Only 45 workers received greater than 200 mSv while employed at Rocketdyne/AI. However, nearly 32% (or 1,833) of the Rocketdyne/AI workers had been monitored for radiation at other nuclear facilities and incorporation of these doses increased the mean dose to 13.5 mSv (maximum 1,005 mSv) and the number of workers with >200 mSv to 69. For a small number of workers (n=292), lung doses from internal radionuclide intakes were relatively high (mean 106 mSv; maximum 3,560...

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Fifty Years of Plutonium Exposure to the Manhattan Project Plutonium Workers

Cited by 56 publications

References 0 publications

Cancer mortality and morbidity among plutonium workers at the Sellafield plant of British Nuclear Fuels

Cancer mortality and morbidity among plutonium workers at the Sellafield plant of British Nuclear Fuels

County Mortality and Cancer Incidence in Relation to Living near Two Former Nuclear Materials Processing Facilities in Pennsylvania—An Update

A Comprehensive Dose Reconstruction Methodology for Former Rocketdyne/Atomics International Radiation Workers

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