1
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Hinton TG, Anderson D, Bæk E, Baranwal VC, Beasley JC, Bontrager HL, Broggio D, Brown J, Byrne ME, Gerke HC, Ishiniwa H, Lance SL, Lind OC, Love CN, Nagata H, Nanba K, Okuda K, Salbu B, Shamovich D, Skuterud L, Trompier F, Webster SC, Zabrotski V. Fundamentals of wildlife dosimetry and lessons learned from a decade of measuring external dose rates in the field. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2024; 278:107472. [PMID: 38905881 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2024.107472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024]
Abstract
Methods for determining the radiation dose received by exposed biota require major improvements to reduce uncertainties and increase precision. We share our experiences in attempting to quantify external dose rates to free-ranging wildlife using GPS-coupled dosimetry methods. The manuscript is a primer on fundamental concepts in wildlife dosimetry in which the complexities of quantifying dose rates are highlighted, and lessons learned are presented based on research with wild boar and snakes at Fukushima, wolves at Chornobyl, and reindeer in Norway. GPS-coupled dosimeters produced empirical data to which numerical simulations of external dose using computer software were compared. Our data did not support a standing paradigm in risk analyses: Using averaged soil contaminant levels to model external dose rates conservatively overestimate the dose to individuals within a population. Following this paradigm will likely lead to misguided recommendations for risk management. The GPS-dosimetry data also demonstrated the critical importance of how modeled external dose rates are impacted by the scale at which contaminants are mapped. When contaminant mapping scales are coarse even detailed knowledge about each animal's home range was inadequate to accurately predict external dose rates. Importantly, modeled external dose rates based on a single measurement at a trap site did not correlate to actual dose rates measured on free ranging animals. These findings provide empirical data to support published concerns about inadequate dosimetry in much of the published Chernobyl and Fukushima dose-effects research. Our data indicate that a huge portion of that literature should be challenged, and that improper dosimetry remains a significant source of controversy in radiation dose-effect research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas G Hinton
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Japan; CERAD CoE, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.
| | - Donovan Anderson
- Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University, Aomori, Japan.
| | - Edda Bæk
- Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Østerås, Norway.
| | | | - James C Beasley
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, USA.
| | - Helen L Bontrager
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, USA.
| | - David Broggio
- Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Justin Brown
- Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Østerås, Norway.
| | - Michael E Byrne
- School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.
| | - Hannah C Gerke
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, USA.
| | - Hiroko Ishiniwa
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Japan.
| | - Stacey L Lance
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, USA.
| | - Ole C Lind
- CERAD CoE, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.
| | - Cara N Love
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, USA.
| | - Hiroko Nagata
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Japan.
| | - Kenji Nanba
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Japan.
| | - Kei Okuda
- Faculty of Human Environmental Sciences, Hiroshima Shudo University, Hiroshima, Japan.
| | - Brit Salbu
- CERAD CoE, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.
| | | | | | - François Trompier
- Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Sarah C Webster
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, USA.
| | - Viachaslau Zabrotski
- Republican Center for Hydrometeorology, Control of Radioactive Contamination and Environmental Monitoring (Belhydromet), Minsk, Belarus.
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2
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Little MP, Bazyka D, de Gonzalez AB, Brenner AV, Chumak VV, Cullings HM, Daniels RD, French B, Grant E, Hamada N, Hauptmann M, Kendall GM, Laurier D, Lee C, Lee WJ, Linet MS, Mabuchi K, Morton LM, Muirhead CR, Preston DL, Rajaraman P, Richardson DB, Sakata R, Samet JM, Simon SL, Sugiyama H, Wakeford R, Zablotska LB. A Historical Survey of Key Epidemiological Studies of Ionizing Radiation Exposure. Radiat Res 2024; 202:432-487. [PMID: 39021204 PMCID: PMC11316622 DOI: 10.1667/rade-24-00021.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
In this article we review the history of key epidemiological studies of populations exposed to ionizing radiation. We highlight historical and recent findings regarding radiation-associated risks for incidence and mortality of cancer and non-cancer outcomes with emphasis on study design and methods of exposure assessment and dose estimation along with brief consideration of sources of bias for a few of the more important studies. We examine the findings from the epidemiological studies of the Japanese atomic bomb survivors, persons exposed to radiation for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes, those exposed to environmental sources including Chornobyl and other reactor accidents, and occupationally exposed cohorts. We also summarize results of pooled studies. These summaries are necessarily brief, but we provide references to more detailed information. We discuss possible future directions of study, to include assessment of susceptible populations, and possible new populations, data sources, study designs and methods of analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark P. Little
- Radiation Epidemiology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778, USA
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Headington Campus, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK
| | - Dimitry Bazyka
- National Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Hematology and Oncology, 53 Melnikov Street, Kyiv 04050, Ukraine
| | | | - Alina V. Brenner
- Radiation Effects Research Foundation, 5-2 Hijiyama Park, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 732-0815, Japan
| | - Vadim V. Chumak
- National Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Hematology and Oncology, 53 Melnikov Street, Kyiv 04050, Ukraine
| | - Harry M. Cullings
- Radiation Effects Research Foundation, 5-2 Hijiyama Park, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 732-0815, Japan
| | - Robert D. Daniels
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Benjamin French
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Eric Grant
- Radiation Effects Research Foundation, 5-2 Hijiyama Park, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 732-0815, Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Hamada
- Biology and Environmental Chemistry Division, Sustainable System Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), 1646 Abiko, Chiba 270-1194, Japan
| | - Michael Hauptmann
- Institute of Biostatistics and Registry Research, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, 16816 Neuruppin, Germany
| | - Gerald M. Kendall
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Richard Doll Building, Old Road Campus, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7LF, UK
| | - Dominique Laurier
- Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety, Fontenay aux Roses France
| | - Choonsik Lee
- Radiation Epidemiology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778, USA
| | - Won Jin Lee
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Martha S. Linet
- Radiation Epidemiology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778, USA
| | - Kiyohiko Mabuchi
- Radiation Epidemiology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778, USA
| | - Lindsay M. Morton
- Radiation Epidemiology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778, USA
| | | | | | - Preetha Rajaraman
- Radiation Effects Research Foundation, 5-2 Hijiyama Park, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 732-0815, Japan
| | - David B. Richardson
- Environmental and Occupational Health, 653 East Peltason, University California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-3957 USA
| | - Ritsu Sakata
- Radiation Effects Research Foundation, 5-2 Hijiyama Park, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 732-0815, Japan
| | - Jonathan M. Samet
- Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Steven L. Simon
- Radiation Epidemiology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778, USA
| | - Hiromi Sugiyama
- Radiation Effects Research Foundation, 5-2 Hijiyama Park, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 732-0815, Japan
| | - Richard Wakeford
- Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, The University of Manchester, Ellen Wilkinson Building, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Lydia B. Zablotska
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 550 16 Street, 2 floor, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
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3
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Bontrager HL, Hinton TG, Okuda K, Beasley JC. The impact of sampling scale: A comparison of methods for estimating external contaminant exposure in free-ranging wildlife. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 921:171012. [PMID: 38369157 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
The impacts of contaminants on wildlife are dose dependent, and thus being able to track or predict exposure following contamination events is important for monitoring ecosystem health. However, the ability to track exposure in free-ranging wildlife is often severely limited. Consequently, researchers have predominantly relied on simple methods for estimating contaminant exposures in wildlife with little regard for spatial contaminant heterogeneity or an animal's use of diverse habitats. We evaluated the influence sampling scale (i.e., how finely contaminant distribution and organism's spatial use of the landscape is mapped) has on (1) realism and (2) conservativeness of exposure estimates. To do this, we monitored the actual exposure of wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Fukushima, Japan to radioactive contamination using GPS-coupled contaminant monitors placed on individual animals. We compared empirical exposures to estimates generated by combining varying amounts of information about an individual boar's location and/or movement, with the distribution of contamination on the landscape. We found that the most realistic exposure estimates were produced when finer-scale contaminant distribution surveys (e.g., airborne surveys) were combined with more accurate estimates of an individual's space use (e.g., home ranges or core areas). Importantly, estimates of exposure based on single point surveys at a trap site (a simple method commonly used in the literature), did not correlate with actual exposure rates, suggesting dose-effects studies using this method may result in spurious conclusions. These results suggest that researchers seeking realistic estimates of exposure, such as in dose-effect studies, should ensure they have adequately accounted for fine-scale contaminant distribution patterns and areas of higher use by study organisms. However, conservative estimates of exposure (i.e., intentionally over-predicting exposure as is done in initial tiers of ecological risk analyses) were not as scale sensitive and could be achieved with a single known location and coarse contaminant distribution maps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen L Bontrager
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC 29808, USA
| | - Thomas G Hinton
- Centre of Excellence in Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1433 Ås, Norway; Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima City, Fukushima 960-1296, Japan
| | - Kei Okuda
- Faculty of Human Environmental Sciences, Hiroshima Shudo University, Hiroshima 731-3195, Japan
| | - James C Beasley
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC 29808, USA.
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4
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Xu H, Jia Y, Sun Z, Su J, Liu QS, Zhou Q, Jiang G. Environmental pollution, a hidden culprit for health issues. ECO-ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH (ONLINE) 2022; 1:31-45. [PMID: 38078200 PMCID: PMC10702928 DOI: 10.1016/j.eehl.2022.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 03/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2023]
Abstract
The environmental and health impacts from the massive discharge of chemicals and subsequent pollution have been gaining increasing public concern. The unintended exposure to different pollutants, such as heavy metals, air pollutants and organic chemicals, may cause diverse deleterious effects on human bodies, resulting in the incidence and progression of different diseases. The article reviewed the outbreak of environmental pollution-related public health emergencies, the epidemiological evidence on certain pollution-correlated health effects, and the pathological studies on specific pollutant exposure. By recalling the notable historical life-threatening disasters incurred by local chemical pollution, the damning evidence was presented to criminate certain pollutants as the main culprit for the given health issues. The epidemiological data on the prevalence of some common diseases revealed a variety of environmental pollutants to blame, such as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), fine particulate matters (PMs) and heavy metals. The retrospection of toxicological studies provided illustrative clues for evaluating ambient pollutant-induced health risks. Overall, environmental pollution, as the hidden culprit, should answer for the increasing public health burden, and more efforts are highly encouraged to strive to explore the cause-and-effect relationships through extensive epidemiological and pathological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanqing Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
- National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Ecological Treatment Technology for Urban Water Pollution, and Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab for Subtropical Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Yang Jia
- National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Ecological Treatment Technology for Urban Water Pollution, and Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab for Subtropical Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Zhendong Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310000, China
| | - Jiahui Su
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Qian S. Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Qunfang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310000, China
- Institute of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430056, China
| | - Guibin Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310000, China
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5
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Challeton-de Vathaire C, Quentric E, Didier D, Blanchardon E, Davesne E, Rannou A, Agarande M, Renaud-Salis V, Franck D. INITIAL EVALUATION OF INDIVIDUAL DOSES IN THE EARLY PHASE OF A NUCLEAR REACTOR ACCIDENT BASED ON IN-VIVO MONITORING DATA AND SIMULATED RADIOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES. RADIATION PROTECTION DOSIMETRY 2019; 185:96-108. [PMID: 30590730 DOI: 10.1093/rpd/ncy277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Revised: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In the early phase of a nuclear reactor accident, in-vivo monitoring of impacted population would be highly useful to detect potential contamination during the passage of the cloud and to estimate the dose from inhalation of measured radionuclides. However, it would be important to take into account other exposure components: (1) inhalation of unmeasured radionuclides and (2) external irradiation from the plume and from the radionuclides deposited on the soil. This article presents a methodology to calculate coefficients used to convert in-vivo measurement results directly into doses, not only from the measured radionuclides but from all sources of exposure according to model-based projected doses. This early interpretation of in-vivo measurements will provide an initial indication of individual exposure levels. As an illustration, the methodology is applied to two scenarios of accidents affecting a nuclear power plant: a loss-of-coolant accident leading to core meltdown and a steam generator tube rupture accident.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Challeton-de Vathaire
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-SANTE/SDOS/LEDI, PSE-SANTE/SESUC/BMCA, PSE-SANTE, PSE-ENV/SAME, BP 17, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Emmanuel Quentric
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-SANTE/SDOS/LEDI, PSE-SANTE/SESUC/BMCA, PSE-SANTE, PSE-ENV/SAME, BP 17, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Damien Didier
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-SANTE/SDOS/LEDI, PSE-SANTE/SESUC/BMCA, PSE-SANTE, PSE-ENV/SAME, BP 17, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Eric Blanchardon
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-SANTE/SDOS/LEDI, PSE-SANTE/SESUC/BMCA, PSE-SANTE, PSE-ENV/SAME, BP 17, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Estelle Davesne
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-SANTE/SDOS/LEDI, PSE-SANTE/SESUC/BMCA, PSE-SANTE, PSE-ENV/SAME, BP 17, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Alain Rannou
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-SANTE/SDOS/LEDI, PSE-SANTE/SESUC/BMCA, PSE-SANTE, PSE-ENV/SAME, BP 17, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Michelle Agarande
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-SANTE/SDOS/LEDI, PSE-SANTE/SESUC/BMCA, PSE-SANTE, PSE-ENV/SAME, BP 17, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Valérie Renaud-Salis
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-SANTE/SDOS/LEDI, PSE-SANTE/SESUC/BMCA, PSE-SANTE, PSE-ENV/SAME, BP 17, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Didier Franck
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-SANTE/SDOS/LEDI, PSE-SANTE/SESUC/BMCA, PSE-SANTE, PSE-ENV/SAME, BP 17, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
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6
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Samet JM, Berrington de González A, Dauer LT, Hatch M, Kosti O, Mettler FA, Satyamitra MM. Gilbert W. Beebe Symposium on 30 Years after the Chernobyl Accident: Current and Future Studies on Radiation Health Effects. Radiat Res 2017; 189:5-18. [PMID: 29136393 DOI: 10.1667/rr14791.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
This commentary summarizes the presentations and discussions from the 2016 Gilbert W. Beebe symposium "30 years after the Chernobyl accident: Current and future studies on radiation health effects." The symposium was hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies). The symposium focused on the health consequences of the Chernobyl accident, looking retrospectively at what has been learned and prospectively at potential future discoveries using emerging 21st Century research methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan M Samet
- a Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | | | | | | | - Ourania Kosti
- d National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington, DC
| | - Fred A Mettler
- e University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico
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Drozdovitch V, Chumak V, Kesminiene A, Ostroumova E, Bouville A. Doses for post-Chernobyl epidemiological studies: are they reliable? JOURNAL OF RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION : OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION 2016; 36:R36-R73. [PMID: 27355439 PMCID: PMC9426290 DOI: 10.1088/0952-4746/36/3/r36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
On 26 April 2016, thirty years will have elapsed since the occurrence of the Chernobyl accident, which has so far been the most severe in the history of the nuclear reactor industry. Numerous epidemiological studies were conducted to evaluate the possible health consequences of the accident. Since the credibility of the association between the radiation exposure and health outcome is highly dependent on the adequacy of the dosimetric quantities used in these studies, this paper makes an effort to overview the methods used to estimate individual doses and the associated uncertainties in the main analytical epidemiological studies (i.e. cohort or case-control) related to the Chernobyl accident. Based on the thorough analysis and comparison with other radiation studies, the authors conclude that individual doses for the Chernobyl analytical epidemiological studies have been calculated with a relatively high degree of reliability and well-characterized uncertainties, and that they compare favorably with many other non-Chernobyl studies. The major strengths of the Chernobyl studies are: (1) they are grounded on a large number of measurements, either performed on humans or made in the environment; and (2) extensive effort has been invested to evaluate the uncertainties associated with the dose estimates. Nevertheless, gaps in the methodology are identified and suggestions for the possible improvement of the current dose estimates are made.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Drozdovitch
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Vadim Chumak
- National Research Centre for Radiation Medicine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | | | | | - André Bouville
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Retired
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8
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Scherb H, Kusmierz R, Voigt K. Human sex ratio at birth and residential proximity to nuclear facilities in France. Reprod Toxicol 2016; 60:104-11. [PMID: 26880420 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2016.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2014] [Revised: 01/15/2016] [Accepted: 02/05/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The possible detrimental genetic impact on humans living in the vicinity of nuclear facilities has been previously studied. We found evidence for an increase in the human secondary sex ratio (sex odds) within distances of up to 35km from nuclear facilities in Germany and Switzerland. Here, we extend our pilot investigations using new comprehensive data from France. The French data (1968-2011) account for 36,565 municipalities with 16,968,701 male and 16,145,925 female births. The overall sex ratio was 1.0510. Using linear and nonlinear logistic regression models with dummy variables coding for appropriately grouped municipalities, operation time periods, and corresponding spatiotemporal interactions, we consider the association between annual municipality-level birth sex ratios and minimum distances of municipalities from nuclear facilities. Within 35km from 28 nuclear sites in France, the sex ratio is increased relative to the rest of France with a sex odds ratio (SOR) of 1.0028, (95% CI: 1.0007, 1.0049). The detected association between municipalities' minimum distances from nuclear facilities and the sex ratio in France corroborates our findings for Germany and Switzerland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hagen Scherb
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Computational Biology, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
| | - Ralf Kusmierz
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Computational Biology, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
| | - Kristina Voigt
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Computational Biology, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
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9
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Geng C, Tang X, Qian W, Guan F, Johns J, Yu H, Gong C, Shu D, Chen D. Calculations of S values and effective dose for the radioiodine carrier and surrounding individuals based on Chinese hybrid reference phantoms using the Monte Carlo technique. JOURNAL OF RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION : OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION 2015; 35:707-717. [PMID: 26344387 DOI: 10.1088/0952-4746/35/3/707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The S values for the thyroid as the radioiodine source organ to other target organs were investigated using Chinese hybrid reference phantoms and the Monte Carlo code MCNP5. Two radioiodine isotopes (125)I and (131)I uniformly distributed in the thyroid were investigated separately. We compared our S values for (131)I in Chinese phantoms with previous studies using other types of phantoms: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) stylized phantoms, International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) voxel phantoms, and University of Florida (UF) phantoms. Our results are much closer to the UF phantoms. For each specific target organ, the S value for (131)I is larger than for (125)I in both male and female phantoms. In addition, the S values and effective dose to surrounding face-to-face exposed individuals, including different genders and ages (10- and 15-year-old juniors, and adults) from an adult male radioiodine carrier were also investigated. The target organ S values and effective dose for surrounding individuals obey the inverse square law with the distance between source and target phantoms. The obtained effective dose data in Chinese phantoms are comparable to the results in a previous study using the UF phantoms. The data generated in this study can serve as the reference to make recommendations for radiation protection of the Chinese patients or nuclear workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changran Geng
- Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211106, People's Republic of China. Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Suzhou 215123, People's Republic of China. Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02114, USA
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10
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Inamasu T, Schonfeld SJ, Abe M, Bidstrup PE, Deltour I, Ishida T, Ishikawa T, Kesminiene A, Ohira T, Ohto H, Suzuki S, Thierry-Chef I, Yabe H, Yasumura S, Schüz J, Yamashita S. Meeting report: suggestions for studies on future health risks following the Fukushima accident. Environ Health 2015; 14:26. [PMID: 25889395 PMCID: PMC4369075 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-015-0013-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2014] [Accepted: 03/03/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
In October 2013, the Radiation Medical Science Center of the Fukushima Medical University and the Section of Environment and Radiation of the International Agency for Research on Cancer held a joint workshop in Fukushima, Japan to discuss opportunities and challenges for long-term studies of the health effects following the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident. This report describes four key areas of discussion -- thyroid screening, dosimetry, mental health, and non-radiation risk factors -- and summarizes recommendations resulting from the workshop. Four recommendations given at the workshop were to: 1) build-up a population-based cancer registry for long-term monitoring of the cancer burden in the prefecture; 2) enable future linkage of data from the various independent activities, particularly those related to dose reconstruction and health status ascertainment; 3) establish long-term observational studies with repeated measurements of lifestyle and behavioural factors to disentangle radiation and non-radiation factors; and 4) implement primary prevention strategies targeted for populations affected by natural disasters, including measures to better understand and address health risk concerns in the affected population. The workshop concluded that coordinated data collection between researchers from different institutes and disciplines can both reduce the burden on the population and facilitate efforts to examine the inter-relationships between the many factors at play.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoko Inamasu
- Section of Environment and Radiation, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 cours Albert Thomas, 69372, Lyon, Cedex 08, France.
- Radiation Medical Science Center, Fukushima Medical University, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima, 960-1295, Japan.
| | - Sara J Schonfeld
- Section of Environment and Radiation, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 cours Albert Thomas, 69372, Lyon, Cedex 08, France.
| | - Masafumi Abe
- Radiation Medical Science Center, Fukushima Medical University, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima, 960-1295, Japan.
| | - Pernille E Bidstrup
- Psychological and Behavioral aspects of Life after Cancer, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Strandboulevarden 49, 2100, København Ø, Denmark.
| | - Isabelle Deltour
- Section of Environment and Radiation, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 cours Albert Thomas, 69372, Lyon, Cedex 08, France.
| | - Takashi Ishida
- Radiation Medical Science Center, Fukushima Medical University, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima, 960-1295, Japan.
| | - Tetsuo Ishikawa
- Radiation Medical Science Center, Fukushima Medical University, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima, 960-1295, Japan.
| | - Ausrele Kesminiene
- Section of Environment and Radiation, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 cours Albert Thomas, 69372, Lyon, Cedex 08, France.
| | - Tetsuya Ohira
- Radiation Medical Science Center, Fukushima Medical University, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima, 960-1295, Japan.
| | - Hitoshi Ohto
- Radiation Medical Science Center, Fukushima Medical University, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima, 960-1295, Japan.
| | - Shinichi Suzuki
- Radiation Medical Science Center, Fukushima Medical University, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima, 960-1295, Japan.
| | - Isabelle Thierry-Chef
- Section of Environment and Radiation, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 cours Albert Thomas, 69372, Lyon, Cedex 08, France.
| | - Hirooki Yabe
- Radiation Medical Science Center, Fukushima Medical University, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima, 960-1295, Japan.
| | - Seiji Yasumura
- Radiation Medical Science Center, Fukushima Medical University, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima, 960-1295, Japan.
| | - Joachim Schüz
- Section of Environment and Radiation, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 cours Albert Thomas, 69372, Lyon, Cedex 08, France.
| | - Shunichi Yamashita
- Radiation Medical Science Center, Fukushima Medical University, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima, 960-1295, Japan.
- Department of Radiation Medical Sciences, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan.
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Taghizadeh S, Najmabadi H, Kamali K, Behjati F. Evaluation of chromosomal aberrations caused by air pollutants in some taxi drivers from two polluted districts of urban Tehran and its comparison with drivers from rural areas of Lahijan: a pilot study. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCE & ENGINEERING 2014; 12:144. [PMID: 25606343 PMCID: PMC4299125 DOI: 10.1186/s40201-014-0144-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2014] [Accepted: 12/06/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chromosome instability is the most common form of genomic instability. Genomic instability can lead to tumorogenesis. High level of chromosomal aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes can be used as a biomarker for cancer. Air pollution is one of the most important factors that cause chromosomal instability (CIN). In this comparative study we used classic Cytogenetic technique to analyze the effects of air pollutants on chromosome stability. We collected peripheral blood from 30 taxi drivers of two polluted districts (districts 6 and 7) in Tehran and 30 taxi drivers from rural areas of Lahijan, north of Iran. RESULTS Comparison of the level of chromosome breakage in the two groups showed an increased level of chromosome breakage in the drivers from polluted districts of Tehran, although not significant, using Fisher exact test (p-value = 0.300). However, the overall chromosome aberration rate (including both chromosome and chromatid gaps), the difference was significant using Chi-square test (p-value = 0.012). CONCLUSION An increased level of chromosome aberration was present in the drivers from polluted districts of Tehran compared to drivers from non-polluted areas in Lahijan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Taghizadeh
- />Genetics Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hossein Najmabadi
- />Genetics Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Koorosh Kamali
- />Department of Public Health, School of Public Health, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
| | - Farkhondeh Behjati
- />Genetics Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Mabuchi K, Schneider AB. Thyroid gland: Do nuclear power plants increase the risk of thyroid cancer? Nat Rev Endocrinol 2014; 10:385-7. [PMID: 24776732 DOI: 10.1038/nrendo.2014.59] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kiyohiko Mabuchi
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Arthur B Schneider
- Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1819 W. Polk Street, MC 640, Chicago, IL 60616, USA
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