title: Population mixing and leukaemia in young people around the La Hague nuclear waste reprocessing plant.
abstract: In order to investigate for an association between population mixing and the occurrence of leukaemia in young people (less than 25 years), a geographical study was conducted, for the years 1979 to 1998, in Nord Cotentin (France). This area experienced between the years 1978 and 1992 a major influx of workers for the construction of a nuclear power station and a new nuclear waste reprocessing unit. A population mixing index was defined on the basis of the number of workers born outside the French department of 'La Manche' and living in each 'commune', the basic geographical unit under study. The analyses were done with indirect standardisation and Poisson regression model allowing or not for extra-Poisson variation. Urban 'communes' were considered as the reference population. The Incidence Rate Ratio was 2.7 in rural 'communes' belonging to the highest tertile of population mixing (95% Bayesian credible interval, 95%BCI=1.2-5.9). A positive trend was observed among rural strata with increasing population mixing index (IRR for trend=1.4, 95%BCI=1.1-1.8). The risk became stronger for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in children 1-6 years old in the highest tertile of population mixing (IRR=5.5, 95%BCI=1.4-23.3). These findings provide further support for a possible infective basis of childhood leukaemia.
authors.affiliation: Ecole Nationale de la Santé Publique, département Egeries, avenue du Professeur Léon Bernard, CS 74312, 35043 Rennes cedex, France. oboutou@ensp.fr
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Boutou
authors.forename: A-V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Guizard
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Slama
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pottier
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007938:Leukemia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D009688:Nuclear Reactors; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D011850:Radioactive Waste / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D011850:Radioactive Waste