title: In utero exposure to radiation and haematological malignancies: pooled analysis of Southern Urals cohorts.
abstract: It is scientifically uncertain whether in utero exposure to low-dose ionising radiation increases the lifetime risk of haematological malignancies.
  
  
  
  We pooled two cohorts from the Southern Urals comprising offspring of female workers of a large nuclear facility (the Mayak Production Association) and of women living in areas along the Techa River contaminated by nuclear accidents/waste from the same facility, with detailed dosimetry.
  
  
  
  The combined cohort totalled 19 536 subjects with 700 504 person-years at risk over the period of incidence follow-up, and slightly more over the period of mortality follow-up, yielding 58 incident cases and 36 deaths up to age 61 years. Risk was increased in subjects who received in utero doses of ⩾80 mGy (excess relative risk (ERR): 1.27; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.20 to 4.71), and the risk increased consistently per 100 mGy of continuous exposure in utero (ERR: 0.77; CI: 0.02 to 2.56). No association was apparent in mortality-based analyses. Results for leukaemia and lymphoma were similar. A very weak positive association was observed between incidence and postnatal exposure.
  
  
  
  In summary, the results suggest a positive association between in utero exposure to ionising radiation and risk of haematological malignancies, but the small number of outcomes and inconsistent incidence and mortality findings preclude firm conclusions.
authors.affiliation: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Section of Environment and Radiation, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schüz
authors.affiliation: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Section of Environment and Radiation, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Deltour
authors.affiliation: Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: Lyudmila Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Krestinina
authors.affiliation: Southern Urals Biophysics Institute, Ozyorsk, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: Yulia V
authors.initials: YV
authors.lastname: Tsareva
authors.affiliation: Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: Evgenia I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Tolstykh
authors.affiliation: Southern Urals Biophysics Institute, Ozyorsk, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: Mikhail E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Sokolnikov
authors.affiliation: Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation.|Chelyabinsk State University, Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: Alexander V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Akleyev
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008875:Middle Aged; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D009688:Nuclear Reactors; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011839:Radiation, Ionizing; D012426:Russia / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult