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High Cancer Risk in US Naval Personnel Serving in Nuclear Powered Ships.
1Environmental Research SIA, 1117 Latvian Academy of Sciences, Riga, Latvia.
Cancer Investigation
|February 18, 2020
Summary
Serving on nuclear-powered ships like the USS Ronald Reagan may pose a significant cancer risk to sailors. This finding contrasts with current radiation protection guidelines, suggesting a need for reassessment.
Area of Science:
- Naval health research
- Radiation oncology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Nuclear-powered warships present unique occupational health challenges.
- Assessing long-term health outcomes for naval personnel is crucial.
- Previous studies may not fully capture risks associated with naval nuclear propulsion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate cancer incidence among sailors serving on a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
- To compare cancer risks in nuclear-ship sailors against a matched control group.
- To determine if current radiation protection models adequately predict observed cancer risks.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study utilizing 2014 Defense Threat Reduction Agency data.
- Analysis included 4,843 sailors from the USS Ronald Reagan (May 2011-Dec 2013).
- A control group of 65,269 US Navy personnel was used for comparison.
Main Results:
- A relative risk (RR) of 9.2 for all malignancies was observed in the control population compared to US national data.
- The study suggests a significantly elevated cancer risk for sailors on nuclear-powered vessels.
- This elevated risk was not anticipated by existing radiation protection science.
Conclusions:
- Service on nuclear-powered ships may be associated with a higher risk of developing cancer.
- Current radiation protection legislation and scientific underpinnings may not fully address these occupational risks.
- Further research is warranted to understand and mitigate cancer risks in nuclear-ship environments.
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