Cancer Mortality among Military Participants at U.S. Nuclear Weapons Tests

美国核武器试验军事参与者的癌症死亡率

• 批准号: 8106235
• 负责人: JOHN Dunning BOICE
• 金额: $ 72.2万
• 依托单位: VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-07-07 至 2015-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8106235
• 关键词: Accounting; Address; Alpha Particles; Breast; Breathing; Cancer Etiology; Cause of Death; Chronic; Coronary heart disease; Coupled; Data; Department of Defense; Development; Disease; Dose; Evaluation; Exposure to; External Beam Radiation Therapy; Family; Financial compensation; Future; Gamma Rays; Health; Heart Diseases; Individual; Ingestion; Intake; Investigation; Japanese Population; Knowledge; Light; Link; Liver; Low Dose Radiation; Male mammary gland; Malignant Bone Neoplasm; Malignant Neoplasms; Malignant neoplasm of thyroid; Marines; Methodology; Methods; Military Personnel; Nevada; Nuclear; Nuclear Energy; Nuclear Weapon; Participant; Persons; Plutonium; Population; Positron-Emission Tomography; Proliferating; Public Health; Radiation; Radiation-Induced Cancer; Radiation-Induced Leukemia; Radioactive; Radioactive Fallout; Radioactive Waste; Radioisotopes; Radionuclide Imaging; Refuse Disposal; Reporting; Research; Risk; Risk Assessment; Sailor; Salivary Glands; Sampling; Scheme; Series; Services; Site; Societies; Soldier; Survivors; Testing; Thyroid Gland; Time; Uncertainty; United States; Uranium; Veterans; base; bone; cancer risk; cohort; coping; cost effective; dirty bomb; epidemiologic data; experience; follow-up; internal radiation; leukemia; lifetime risk; mortality; nuclear power; public health relevance; reconstruction; response

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The lifetime risk of cancer will be quantified among 125,000 United States atomic veterans who participated at one or more of the 230 aboveground atmospheric nuclear weapons tests at the Nevada Test Site or the Pacific Proving Ground between 1946 and 1958. Reliable estimates of radiation dose for individual atomic veterans will be made which were not possible in previous investigations. Advances in dose reconstruction methods will permit dose-response evaluations and risk quantification. New knowledge will be sought on specific cancer risks following protracted low-dose exposure to external and internal radiation, including the inhalation and ingestion of plutonium, uranium and radioactive fission products. Previous studies identified excesses of leukemia and several other cancers, but reliable estimates of radiation dose were not possible. The hypothesis to be tested is that chronic low-dose radiation exposure some 50 to 60 years ago can be linked to increases in leukemia and other diseases, including coronary heart disease. An additional 20 years of mortality data will enhance our ability to uncover any radiation-related risks among military personnel present at one or more of the seven atmospheric test series with the highest recorded exposures, i.e., CASTLE, GREENHOUSE, REDWING, UPSHOT- KNOTHOLE, PLUMBBOB, CROSSROADS and HARDTACK I. New developments in statistical methodologies will be applied to account for the uncertainty in the estimated radiation doses. Preliminary estimates indicate a broad range of doses from minimal (< 1 mSv or 0.10 rem) to over 900 mSv (or 90 rem). All causes of death will be evaluated, and radiation doses will be reconstructed for all veterans who died of leukemia and cancers of the thyroid, salivary gland, male breast, liver and bone, i.e., for cancers previously reported to be increased, as well as on a 1% random sample of the entire cohort. The focus will be on leukemia for which over 1,000 cases are estimated to have occurred. The proliferating use of CT x-ray as well as radionuclide imaging (e.g., PET scans) highlights the need for accurate estimates of lifetime radiation risk following chronic low-dose exposures for which cumulative population doses could be substantial. The evaluation of risks among persons with exposure to radioactive substances assumes greater importance as society debates expansion of nuclear energy and associated nuclear waste and the possibility of terrorist attacks with "dirty bombs." The proposed study thus provides a unique, timely and cost-effective opportunity to address important public health and societal issues, taking advantage of detailed radiation dose and veteran data already developed by the Department of Defense over the past 30 years. Finally, the proposed project is important to veterans and their families in providing a better understanding of the health risks associated with their prior military service. Public Health Relevance: Atomic veterans who participated in any of the 230 atmospheric nuclear weapons tests at the Nevada Test Site and the Pacific Proving Ground between 1946 and 1958 could have been exposed to various types of radiation including gamma rays, alpha particles and intakes of radioactive substances such as plutonium, uranium and fallout products. Results of this study will provide new knowledge on the lifetime risk of cancer following relatively low-dose exposures received gradually over time. Such information is helpful in understanding the very long-term consequences of radiation exposures and assumes greater importance today in light of the proliferating use of CT x-ray and radionuclide imaging, the possible expansion of nuclear power, and concerns over nuclear waste disposal and terrorist attacks with "dirty bombs."

描述（由申请人提供）：在内华达州测试地点的230个或多个地面大气核武器测试中，将量化癌症的终身风险，或者在1946年至1958年之间的太平洋试验场。剂量重建方法的进步将允许剂量反应评估和风险量化。在长期暴露于外部和内部辐射的低剂量暴露后，将寻求有关特定癌症风险的新知识，包括吸入和摄入plut骨，铀和放射性裂变产物。先前的研究确定了白血病和其他几种癌症的过量，但不可能对辐射剂量进行可靠的估计。要检验的假设是，大约50至60年前的慢性低剂量辐射暴露可能与白血病和其他疾病（包括冠心病）的增加有关。另外20年的死亡率数据将增强我们在七个大气测试系列中有一个或多个的军事人员中发现任何与辐射相关的风险的能力，即记录最高的暴露量，即城堡，城堡，温室，红翼，近距离诺托尔，铅虫，铅孔，铅杆，十字路口和Hardtack I.统计学上的新事物的估计范围内的新发展，以估算不需要的估计范围。初步估计表明，从最小值（<1 msv或0.10 REM）到900 MSV（或90 REM）的广泛剂量。将评估所有死亡原因，并为所有死于白血病和甲状腺癌，唾液腺，雄性乳腺癌，肝脏和骨骼的退伍军人重建辐射剂量，即先前据报道的癌症，以及整个队列的1％随机样本。重点将放在白血病上，据估计有1000多例病例发生。在慢性低剂量暴露暴露后，累积的人口剂量可能是实质性的，对CT X射线以及放射性核素成像的增殖以及放射性核素成像（例如PET扫描）强调了终生辐射风险的准确估计。随着社会辩论核能和相关的核废料的扩展以及使用“肮脏的炸弹”的恐怖袭击的可能性，对暴露于放射性物质的人之间的风险评估变得更加重要。因此，拟议的研究提供了一个独特，及时和成本效益的机会，以利用国防部在过去30年中已经开发的详细辐射剂量和退伍军人数据，以解决重要的公共卫生和社会问题。最后，拟议的项目对退伍军人及其家人非常重要，以更好地了解与先前的兵役相关的健康风险。 公共卫生相关性：在内华达州测试现场参加了230个大气核武器测试中的任何一个，以及1946年至1958年之间的太平洋探测基地中的任何一个原子退伍军人可能会暴露于各种类型的辐射，包括伽玛射线，α射线，α颗粒，α颗粒和诸如Prutonium，prutonium，Uranium和Fallout产品等放射性物质的摄入量。这项研究的结果将提供有关随着时间的流逝逐渐接受的相对低剂量暴露后癌症终生风险的新知识。这种信息有助于理解辐射暴露的长期后果，并且鉴于使用CT X射线和放射性核素成像，核能的扩展以及对核废料处理以及使用“ Dirty Bombs”的恐怖袭击的担忧。