title: Leukaemia in young children in the vicinity of British nuclear power plants: a case-control study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Concern about the risk of leukaemia in children living near nuclear power plants (NPPs) persists. Previous British analyses have been area based and consequently thought to be less effective than case-control studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cases of childhood leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (LNHL) born and diagnosed in Great Britain between 1962 and 2007, with matched cancer-free controls, were analysed by logistic regression to estimate the risk of residential proximity at birth and diagnosis to the nearest NPP, adjusting for relevant variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For 9821 children with LNHL under the age of 5 years, the estimated extra risk associated with residential proximity to an NPP at birth was negative-interpolated Odds Ratio (OR) at 5 km was 0.86 (0.49-1.52). The comparison of 10 618 children with LNHL under five with 16 760 similarly aged children with other cancers also gave a negative estimate of the extra risk of residential proximity at diagnosis-interpolated OR at 5 km was 0.86 (0.62-1.18).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show little evidence of an increase in risk of LNHL to children aged under 5 years from living in the vicinity of an NPP. Risk estimates are incompatible with comparable ones published in a recent German case-control study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Childhood Cancer Research Group, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LG, UK.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Bithell
authors.forename: M F G
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Stiller
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Toumpakari
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vincent
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wakeford
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007938:Leukemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D007953:Leukemia, Radiation-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology; D055848:Nuclear Power Plants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
references.citation: Br J Cancer. 2011 Jan 4;104(1):12-8
references.pmid: 21063418
references.citation: Int J Cancer. 2012 Dec 15;131(12):2970-1; author reply 2974-5
references.pmid: 22492475
references.citation: Int J Cancer. 2008 Feb 15;122(4):721-6
references.pmid: 18067131
references.citation: Environ Health Perspect. 2007 Jun;115(6):947-52
references.pmid: 17589605
references.citation: Int J Cancer. 2012 Sep 1;131(5):E769-80
references.pmid: 22223329
references.citation: Br J Cancer. 2012 Sep 25;107(7):1163-8
references.pmid: 22955857
references.citation: Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2008 Oct;105(42):725-32
references.pmid: 19623296
references.citation: Br J Cancer. 2012 Oct 23;107(9):1652-9
references.pmid: 22968649
references.citation: Int J Occup Environ Health. 2010 Jul-Sep;16(3):341-50
references.pmid: 20662426
references.citation: Br J Cancer. 2011 Nov 22;105(11):1783-7
references.pmid: 22027710
references.citation: Cancer. 2005 Apr 1;103(7):1457-67
references.pmid: 15712273
references.citation: J Public Health Med. 1991 Nov;13(4):318-26
references.pmid: 1764290
references.citation: Lancet. 1984 Jan 28;1(8370):217-8
references.pmid: 6141350
references.citation: Eur J Cancer. 2008 Jan;44(2):275-84
references.pmid: 18082395
references.citation: J Radiol Prot. 2011 Sep;31(3):279-84
references.pmid: 21865613