title: Half-century archives of occupational medical data on French nuclear workers: a dusty warehouse or gold mine for epidemiological research?
abstract: This article discusses the availability and completeness of medical data on workers from the AREVA NC Pierrelatte nuclear plant and their possible use in epidemiological research on cardiovascular and metabolic disorders related to internal exposure to uranium. We created a computer database from files on 394 eligible workers included in an ongoing nested case-control study from a larger cohort of 2897 French nuclear workers. For each worker, we collected records of previous employment, job positions, job descriptions, medical visits, and blood test results from medical history. The dataset counts 9,471 medical examinations and 12,735 blood test results. For almost all of the parameters relevant for research on cardiovascular risk, data completeness and availability is over 90%, but it varies with time and improves in the latest time period. In the absence of biobanks, collecting and computerising available good-quality occupational medicine archive data constitutes a valuable alternative for epidemiological and aetiological research in occupational health. Biobanks rarely contain biological samples over an entire worker's carrier and medical data from nuclear industry archives might make up for unavailable biomarkers that could provide information on cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
authors.forename: Jerome-Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Garsi
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Samson
authors.forename: Laetitia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chablais
authors.forename: Sergey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhivin
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Niogret
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Laurier
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Guseva Canu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001109:Archives / Q000266:history*; D018070:Biological Specimen Banks / Q000266:history*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000266:history; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000266:history* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000266:history; D008875:Middle Aged; D055848:Nuclear Power Plants / Q000266:history*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000266:history*; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000266:history*; D014501:Uranium / Q000633:toxicity; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014501:Uranium