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Risks of radiation at low dose rates
Lancet (London, England)
|February 21, 1981
Summary
Women painting with radium-based products before 1961 showed increased breast cancer risk, especially those under 30. This finding aligns with established radiation risk assessments for breast cancer.
Area of Science:
- Occupational health
- Radiation oncology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Historical use of radium in consumer products, specifically paint.
- Potential health risks associated with occupational exposure to radioactive materials like radium.
- Limited data on long-term cancer mortality in radium workers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cancer mortality among women occupationally exposed to radium-containing paint.
- To assess the relationship between radium exposure and breast cancer risk.
- To evaluate radiation risk estimates based on this cohort.
Main Methods:
- Cohort study of 1110 women in the UK paint industry (1939-1961).
- Assessment of radium body content and external gamma-ray absorbed dose rates (1-4 mGy/week).
- Statistical analysis of cancer mortality, focusing on breast cancer risk in relation to age at start of employment and radiation dose.
Main Results:
- A significantly increased risk of breast cancer mortality was observed in women who started work before age 30.
- The excess risk, if attributed to radiation, suggests 20-500 deaths per 10^4 women per Gy.
- Radium body content was small, but external gamma irradiation was a factor.
Conclusions:
- Occupational exposure to gamma rays from radium paint is linked to increased breast cancer risk, particularly for younger workers.
- The observed risk estimates are consistent with those used by the International Commission on Radiological Protection.
- This study highlights the importance of radiation protection in historical occupational settings.
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