title: The Ukrainian-American study of leukemia and related disorders among Chornobyl cleanup workers from Ukraine: III. Radiation risks.
abstract: Leukemia is one of the cancers most susceptible to induction by ionizing radiation, but the effects of lower doses delivered over time have not been quantified adequately. After the Chornobyl (Chernobyl) accident in Ukraine in April 1986, several hundred thousand workers who were involved in cleaning up the site and its surroundings received fractionated exposure, primarily from external gamma radiation. To increase our understanding of the role of protracted low-dose radiation exposure in the etiology of leukemia, we conducted a nested case-control study of leukemia in a cohort of cleanup workers identified from the Chornobyl State Registry of Ukraine. The analysis is based on 71 cases of histologically confirmed leukemia diagnosed in 1986-2000 and 501 age- and residence-matched controls selected from the same cohort. Study subjects or their proxies were interviewed about their cleanup activities and other relevant factors. Individual bone marrow radiation doses were estimated by the RADRUE dose reconstruction method (mean dose = 76.4 mGy, SD = 213.4). We used conditional logistic regression to estimate leukemia risks. The excess relative risk (ERR) of total leukemia was 3.44 per Gy [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.47-9.78, P < 0.01]. The dose response was linear and did not differ significantly by calendar period of first work in the 30-km Chornobyl zone, duration or type of work. We found a similar dose-response relationship for chronic and non-chronic lymphocytic leukemia [ERR = 4.09 per Gy (95% CI < 0-14.41) and 2.73 per Gy (95% CI < 0-13.50), respectively]. To further clarify these issues, we are extending the case-control study to ascertain cases for another 6 years (2001-2006).
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Kyiv, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Anatoly Ye
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Romanenko
authors.forename: Stuart C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Finch
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hatch
authors.forename: Jay H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lubin
authors.forename: Volodymyr G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Bebeshko
authors.forename: Dimitry A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Bazyka
authors.forename: Nataliya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gudzenko
authors.forename: Irina S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Dyagil
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Reiss
authors.forename: Andre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bouville
authors.forename: Vadim V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Chumak
authors.forename: Nataliya K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Trotsiuk
authors.forename: Nataliya G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Babkina
authors.forename: Yuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Belyayev
authors.forename: Ihor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Masnyk
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ron
authors.forename: Geoffrey R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Howe
authors.forename: Lydia B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Zablotska
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D047852:Chernobyl Nuclear Accident; D015331:Cohort Studies; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013997:Time Factors; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D014455:Ukraine / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; C449281:TMEM158 protein, human; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins