Cancer in radar technicians exposed to radiofrequency/microwave radiation: sentinel episodes.
Controversy exists concerning the health risks from exposures to radiofrequency/microwave irradiation (RF/MW). The authors report exposure-effect relationships in sentinel patients and their co-workers, who were technicians with high levels of exposure to RF/MW radiation. Information about exposures of patients with sentinel tumors was obtained from interviews, medical records, and technical sources. One patient was a member of a cohort of 25 workers with six tumors. The authors estimated relative risks for cancer in this group and latency periods for a larger group of self-reported individuals. Index patients with melanoma of the eye, testicular cancer, nasopharyngioma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and breast cancer were in the 20-37-year age group. Information about work conditions suggested prolonged exposures to high levels of RF/MW radiation that produced risks for the entire body. Clusters involved many different types of tumors. Latency periods were extremely brief in index patients and a larger self-reported group. The findings suggest that young persons exposed to high levels of RF/MW radiation for long periods in settings where preventive measures were lax were at increased risk for cancer. Very short latency periods suggest high risks from high-level exposures. Calculations derived from a linear model of dose-response suggest the need to prevent exposures in the range of 10-100 microw/cm(2).
Unit of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem POB 12272, Israel. elir@cc.huji. ac.il
E
E
Richter
T
T
Berman
E
E
Ben-Michael
R
R
Laster
J B
JB
Westin
D000328:Adult; D000488:Allied Health Personnel; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008872:Microwaves / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D011846:Radio Waves / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011874:Radiometry; D012306:Risk; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors