Lack of association between occupational radiation exposure and thyroid nodules in healthcare personnel.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether healthcare workers routinely exposed to low-level ionizing radiation have a higher prevalence of thyroid nodularity.


METHODS
Presence of thyroid nodularity, as assessed by 10-MHz neck ultrasonography, was compared with accumulated radiation doses of 579 exposed university hospital workers (M:F 350:229) obliged to wear a personal dosimeter.


RESULTS
Nodules were detected in 141/579 (24.3%) subjects. Mean accumulated dose was not different among subjects with and without nodules (14.19+/-28.00 mSv vs 17.71+/-32.89 mSv; P=0.12). Duration of occupational exposure (<10 years vs 10-19 years vs >or=20 years) did not affect prevalence of nodularity. At multivariate analysis, only female gender and age were significant risk factors.


CONCLUSIONS
Mildly exposed health workers do not appear to incur any excess risk of thyroid nodularity.
Violante
Francesco S
FS
Occupational Health Unit, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Italy. violante@orsola-malpighi.med.unibo.it
Romano
Paolo
P
Bonfiglioli
Roberta
R
Lodi
Vittorio
V
Missere
Maurilio
M
Mattioli
Stefano
S
Raffi
Giovanni B
GB
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011830:Radiation Effects; D011839:Radiation, Ionizing; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*