Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Methods for Analyzing the Impacts of Natural Uranium on In Vitro Osteoclastogenesis
Published on: January 30, 2018
Ionizing radiation and risk of laryngeal cancer among German uranium miners
M Möhner1, M Lindtner, H Otten
1Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), Nöldnerstrasse 40/42, 10317 Berlin, Germany. moehner.matthias@baua.bund.de
Abstract:
Today it is uncontested that uranium miners are at increased risk of lung cancer, primarily owing to their exposure to radon. Whether they are also at an increased risk of cancer at other sites, especially in the respiratory tract, remains under discussion. The aim of the present study was to examine the laryngeal cancer risk among uranium miners. An individually matched case-control study of former uranium miners in East Germany was conducted, including 554 cases and 929 controls. Using conditional logistic regression models, a dose-response relationship between the risk of developing a laryngeal cancer and exposure to radon progeny could not be confirmed. Even in miners with a cumulative exposure of at least 1,000 WLM, only a slightly elevated risk could be observed of OR = 1.13 (0.75-1.70)95%. The study does not support the hypothesis of an association between exposure to short-lived radon progeny and laryngeal cancer risk. Moreover, signs are emerging that smoking could explain the moderate excess in laryngeal cancer cases observed in some miner cohorts.
Related Concept Videos
Biological Effects of Radiation
Mutations
Chromosomal Alterations Are Large-Scale Mutations
While point mutations are changes in a single nucleotide in...
Cancer Prevention
Some...
Types of Radioactivity
Alpha (α) decay is the emission of an α particle from the nucleus. For example, polonium-210 undergoes α decay:
X-ray Imaging
Other Unique Bacteria
