title: Mortality analyses in the updated French cohort of uranium miners (1946-2007).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objectives are to analyze mortality risks in the extended follow-up of the French uranium miners' cohort and to examine their potential relation to occupational exposure to ionizing radiation (IR).
  
  
  METHODS
  The total cohort includes 5,086 uranium miners employed in the CEA-COGEMA group and followed up from 1946 to 2007. Vital status, causes of death, and cumulative radon exposures were recorded. The post-55 subcohort includes 3,377 miners first employed after 1955, for whom long-lived radionuclides (LLR) and external gamma-ray exposure were also recorded. External mortality analyses were performed by computing standardized mortality ratios (SMR). Excess relative risks (ERRs) due to IR exposures were estimated from Poisson regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The miners included in the total cohort were followed up for 35.4 years and exposed to 36.6 working level months (WLM) on average. There was no evidence of a difference in overall mortality between miners and the general French male population. Miners had a statistically significant excess mortality rate from lung cancer (SMR = 1.34 [95% CI 1.16-1.53]) and from kidney cancer (SMR = 1.60 [1.03-2.39]). Cumulative radon exposure was significantly associated with lung cancer risk (ERR/100 WLM = 0.71 [0.31-1.30]) and cerebrovascular risk (ERR/100 WLM = 0.41 [0.04-1.03]). In the post-55 subcohort, this excess mortality from lung cancer remained associated with exposure to radon, and also with exposure to LLR and external gamma rays.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The analyses in the extended follow-up strengthen the results previously observed among French uranium miners about their excess risk of mortality and its association with their occupational IR exposure.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), PRP-HOM, SRBE, LEPID, BP17, 92262, Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex, France, estelle.rage@irsn.fr.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rage
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caër-Lorho
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Drubay
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ancelet
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Laroche
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Laurier
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008906:Mining / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000069079:Radiation Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D011839:Radiation, Ionizing; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014501:Uranium; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014501:Uranium