Thyroid disease associated with exposure to the Nevada nuclear weapons test site radiation: a reevaluation based on corrected dosimetry and examination data.
BACKGROUND
A study was begun in 1965 to 1966 to determine whether children exposed to radioactive iodine from nuclear weapons testing at the Nevada Test Site from 1951 through 1962 were at higher risk of thyroid disease. In 1993, we reported that among those examined in 1985 to 1986 (Phase II) there was an association between radiation from the Nevada Test Site and thyroid neoplasms.


METHODS
We reevaluated the relationship between exposure to Nevada Test Site fallout and thyroid disease using newly corrected dose estimates and disease outcomes from the Phase II study. A prospective cohort of school children 12 to 18 years old living in Utah, Nevada, and Arizona was first examined for thyroid disease in 1965 to 1966 and reexamined in 1985 to 1986. In the Phase II report, 2497 subjects formed the basis for this analysis. Thyroid disease, including thyroid neoplasms and thyroiditis, was expressed as cumulative incidence and risk ratios (RRs) with a dose-response expressed as excess risk ratio (ERR/Gy).


RESULTS
The RR between thyroid radiation dose in the highest dose group and thyroid neoplasms increased from 3.4 (in the earlier analysis) to 7.5. The RR for thyroiditis increased from 1.1 to 2.7 with an ERR/Gy of 4.9 (95% confidence interval = 2.0 to 10.0). There were too few malignant thyroid neoplasms to estimate risk.


CONCLUSIONS
Persons exposed to radioactive iodine as children have an increased risk of thyroid neoplasms and autoimmune thyroiditis up to 30 years after exposure.
Lyon
Joseph L
JL
Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA. jlyon@dfpm.utah.edu
Alder
Stephen C
SC
Stone
Mary Bishop
MB
Scholl
Alan
A
Reading
James C
JC
Holubkov
Richard
R
Sheng
Xiaoming
X
White
George L
GL
Hegmann
Kurt T
KT
Anspaugh
Lynn
L
Hoffman
F Owen
FO
Simon
Steven L
SL
Thomas
Brian
B
Carroll
Raymond
R
Meikle
A Wayne
AW
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D017322:Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D009505:Nevada / Q000453:epidemiology; D009689:Nuclear Warfare; D011847:Radioactive Fallout / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011874:Radiometry; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*
D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D011847:Radioactive Fallout