Abstract
Purpose
To examine exposure–response relationships between ionizing radiation and several mortality outcomes in a subgroup of 4,054 men of the German uranium miner cohort study, who worked between 1946 and 1989 in milling facilities, but never underground or in open pit mines.
Methods
Mortality follow-up was from 1946 to 2008, accumulating 158,383 person-years at risk. Cumulative exposure to radon progeny in working level months (WLM) (mean = 8, max = 127), long-lived radionuclides from uranium ore dust in kBqh/m3 (mean = 3.9, max = 132), external gamma radiation in mSv (mean = 26, max = 667) and silica dust was estimated by a comprehensive job–exposure matrix. Internal Poisson regression models were applied to estimate the linear excess relative risk (ERR) per unit of cumulative exposure.
Results
Overall, a total of 457, 717 and 111 deaths occurred from malignant cancer, cardiovascular diseases and non-malignant respiratory diseases, respectively. Uranium ore dust and silica dust were not associated with mortality from any of these disease groups. A statistically significant relationship between cumulative radon exposure and mortality from all cancers (ERR/100 WLM = 1.71; p = 0.02), primarily due to lung cancer (n = 159; ERR/100 WLM = 3.39; p = 0.05), was found. With respect to cumulative external gamma radiation, an excess of mortality of solid cancers (n = 434; ERR/Sv = 1.86; p = 0.06), primarily due to stomach cancer (n = 49, ERR/Sv = 10.0; p = 0.12), was present.
Conclusion
The present findings show an excess mortality from lung cancer due to radon exposure and from solid cancers due to external gamma radiation in uranium millers that was not statistically significant. Exposure to uranium was not associated with any cause of death, but absorbed organ doses were estimated to be low.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) (2013) Toxicological Profile for Uranium (Atlanta, GA: US) Department of Health and Human Service. Available at www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp150.html, Feb 2013
Anderson JL, Daniels RD, Fleming DA, Tseng CY (2012) Exposure assessment for a cohort of workers at a former uranium processing facility. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 22:324–330
Boice JD, Cohen SS, Mumma MT, Chadda B, Blot WJ (2008) A cohort of uranium millers and miners of Grants, New Mexico, 1979–2005. J Radiol Prot 28:303–325
Breslow NE, Day NE (1987) Statistical methods in cancer research. Volume II—the design and analysis of cohort studies. Scientific publication 82, IARC, Lyon
Canu IG, Ellis ED, Tirmarche M (2008) Cancer risk in nuclear workers occupationally exposed to uranium—emphasis on internal exposure. Health Phys 94:1–17
Cardis E, Vrijheid M, Blettner M et al (2007) The 15-country collaborative study of cancer risk among radiation workers in the nuclear industry: estimates of radiation-related cancer risks. Radiat Res 167:396–416
Dahmann D, Bauer HD, Stoyke G (2008) Retrospective exposure assessment for respirable and inhalable dust, crystalline silica and arsenic in the former German uranium mines of SAG/SDAG Wismut. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 81:949–958
Dupree-Ellis E, Watkins J, Ingle JN, Phillips J (2000) External radiation exposure and mortality in a cohort of uranium processing workers. Am J Epidemiol 152:91–95
Guseva Canu I, Garsi JP (2012) Does uranium induce circulatory diseases? First results of a French cohort of uranium workers. Occup Environ Med 69:404–409
Guseva Canu I, Cardis E, Metz-Flamant C, Caër-Lorho S, Auriol B, Wild P, Laurier D, Tirmarche M (2010) French cohort of the uranium processing workers: mortality pattern after 30-year follow-up. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 83:301–308
Guseva Canu I, Jacob S, Cardis E et al (2011) Uranium carcinogenicity in humans might depend on the physical and chemical nature of uranium and its isotopic composition: results from pilot epidemiological study of French nuclear workers. Cancer Causes Control 22:1563–1573
HVBG, BBG (2005) Belastung durch ionisierende Strahlung, Staub und Arsen im Uranerzbergbau der ehemaligen DDR (Version 08/2005). Gera: Bergbau BG (BBG), St. Augustin: Hauptverband der gewerblichen Berufsgenossenschaften (HVBG), 2005 (CD-Rom)
IARC (2012) Radiation: a review of human carcinogens. IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans, vol 100 D. IARC, Lyon
Kreuzer M, Schnelzer M, Tschense A, Walsh L, Grosche B (2010) Cohort profile: the German uranium miners cohort study (WISMUT cohort), 1946–2003. Int J Epidemiol 39:980–987
Kreuzer M, Dufey F, Sogl M, Schnelzer M, Walsh L (2013) External gamma radiation and mortality from cardiovascular diseases in the German WISMUT uranium miners cohort study, 1946–2008. Radiat Environ Biophys 52:37–46
Laurier D, Guseva Canu I, Baatout S et al (2012) DOREMI workshop on multidisciplinary approaches to evaluating cancer risk associations with low-dose internal contamination. Radioprotection 47:119–148
Lehmann F, Hambeck L, Linkert KH et al (1998) Belastung durch ionisierende Strahlung im Uranerzbergbau der ehemaligen DDR. Hauptverband der gewerblichen Berufsgenossenschaften: Sankt Augustin
Marsh JW, Bessa Y, Birchall A, Blanchardon E, Hofmann W, Nosske D, Tomasek L (2008) Dosimetric models used in the alpha-risk project to quantify exposure of uranium miners to radon gas and its progeny. Radiat Prot Dosimetry 130:101–106
Marsh JW, Gregoratto D, Hofmann W, Hofmann W, Karcher K, Nosske D, Tomásek L (2012) Dosimetric calculations for uranium miners for epidemiological studies. Radiat Prot Dosimetry 149:371–383
Pinkerton LE, Bloom TF, Hein MJ, Ward EM (2004) Mortality among a cohort of uranium mill workers: an update. Occup Environ Med 61:57–64
Preston DL, Lubin JH, Pierce DA et al (1998) Epicure, release 2.10. Hirosoft, Seattle
Rittgen W, Becker N (2000) SMR analysis of historical follow-up studies with missing death certificates. Biometrics 56:1164–1169
Ritz B (1999) Radiation exposure and cancer mortality in uranium processing workers. Epidemiology 10:531–581
Schnelzer M, Hammer GP, Kreuzer M, Tschense M, Grosche B (2010) Accounting for smoking in the radon-related lung cancer risk among German uranium miners: results of a nested case-control study. Health Phys 98:20–28
Silver SR, Bertke SJ, Hein MJ et al (2013) Mortality and ionising radiation exposures among workers employed at the Fernald Feed Materials Production Centre (1951–1985). Occup Environ Med 70:453–463
Sogl M, Taeger D, Pallapies D, Brüning T, Dufey F, Schnelzer M, Straif K, Walsh L, Kreuzer M (2012) Quantitative relationship between silica exposure and lung cancer mortality in German uranium miners, 1946–2003. Br J Cancer 107:1188–1194
Souidi M, Tissandie E, Racine R et al (2009) Uranium: properties and biological effects after internal contamination. Ann Biol Clin 67:23–38 (in French)
Walsh L, Tschense A, Schnelzer M, Dufey F, Grosche B, Kreuzer M (2010) The influence of radon exposures on lung cancer mortality in German uranium miners, 1946–2003. Radiat Res 173:79–90
Wismut (2010) GmbH: Die Chronik der Wismut. Hrsg: Wismut GmbH. CD
Zablotska LB, Lane RSD, Frost SE (2013) Mortality (1950–1999) and cancer incidence (1969–1999) of workers in the Port Hope cohort study exposed to a unique combination of radium, uranium and γ-ray doses. BMJ Open. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2012-002159
Acknowledgments
This work was partially funded by the EC (EURATOM FP7 Grant Number 8192; DoReMi Cure project).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
D. Nowak also a member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kreuzer, M., Dufey, F., Laurier, D. et al. Mortality from internal and external radiation exposure in a cohort of male German uranium millers, 1946–2008. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 88, 431–441 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-014-0973-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-014-0973-2