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PubMed1989

[Injuries caused by nuclear weapons--providing medical care].

Destructive factors of nuclear weapon's action are briefly reviewed. Actions of general and local irradiation are scrutinized which can take place in the radiation field of nuclear explosion or on the region contamined with its products. Also measures of protection from both internal and external irradiation are listed. Diagnosis and management of acute irradiation disease as well as local radiation damage are analyzed with the addition of basic medical and evacuative strategy. The present work is based on available literature data and reflects author's points of views without inclusion of certain obligatory approaches in providing irradiated persons with medical and evacuative requirements.

Delivery of Health Care↗
PubMed2004

A comparative study of (239,240)Pu in soil near the former Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Facility, Golden, CO.

The Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant near Golden, CO released plutonium into the environment during almost 40 years of operation. Continuing concern over possible health impacts of these releases has been heightened by lack of public disclosure of the US Department of Energy (DOE) activities. A dose reconstruction study for the Rocky Flats facilities, begun in 1990, provided a unique opportunity for concerned citizens to design and implement field studies without participation of the DOE, its contractors, or other government agencies. The Citizens Environmental Sampling Committee was formed in late 1992 and conducted a field sampling program in 1994. Over 60 soil samples, including both surface and core samples, were collected from 28 locations where past human activities would have minimal influence on contaminant distributions in soil. Cesium-137 activity was used as a means to assess whether samples were collected in undisturbed locations. The distribution of plutonium (as (239,240)Pu) in soil was consistent with past sampling conducted by DOE, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and others. Elevated levels of (239,240)Pu were found immediately east of the Rocky Flats Plant, with concentrations falling rapidly with distance from the plant to levels consistent with background from fallout. Samples collected in areas south, west, and north of the plant were generally consistent with background from fallout. No biases in past sampling due to choice of sampling locations or sampling methodology were evident. The study shows that local citizens, when provided sufficient resources, can design and implement technical studies that directly address community concerns where trust in the regulated community and/or regulators is low.

Colorado↗
PubMed2001

Ecological half-time of radiocesium from Chernobyl debris and from nuclear weapons fallout as measured in a group of subjects from the south of Sweden.

From 1960 to 1980 and between 1987 and 1994 the whole-body content of 17Cs, and when possible also 134Cs, was measured in a group of subjects living in the city of Lund, Sweden (55.7 degrees N, 13.2 degrees E). The results have been analyzed to estimate the effective ecological half-time of fallout radiocesium in humans living in the area. The Lund area (The Province of Skåne) was subjected to a deposition of about 2 kBq m(-2) of pre-Chernobyl 137Cs from nuclear weapons testing and 1 kBq m(-2) of 137Cs from Chernobyl fallout in May 1986. The radiocesium from the nuclear weapons tests in the 1950's and 1960's still gave a significant contribution to the total 137Cs levels in humans in the post-Chernobyl study period (1987-1994) of about 0.4 Bq per kg body weight, which was about 10% of the peak post-Chernobyl concentration level of 137Cs (3.5-4 Bq kg(-1)) in 1987. The effective ecological half-time for 137Cs from Chernobyl was found to be 1.8 +/- 0.2 y. The aggregate transfer factor from deposition to mean activity concentration in man was estimated to be 3.6 Bq kg(-1)/kBq m(-2). These values may be compared with an effective ecological half-time of 1.3 y found in the reference group in the 1960's, and an aggregate transfer factor of 10 Bq kg(-1)/kBq m(-2). This difference is largely explained by the continuous nature of the global fallout leading to contamination on growing crops whereas the Chernobyl fallout occurred just prior to the South Swedish growing season, leading to less efficient transfer to crops and to human diet. The average committed individual effective dose (50 y) from ingested 137Cs from the Chernobyl fallout was estimated to be 0.02 mSv and from the nuclear weapons fallout (1945-1995) to be 0.20 mSv.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Ecological half-time and effective dose from chernobyl debris and from nuclear weapons fallout of 137Cs as measured in different Swedish populations.

The fallout in Sweden of radiocesium from nuclear weapons tests during the 1960's (137Cs) and from the Chernobyl accident in 1986 (134Cs and 137Cs) has transferred to humans through different ecological pathways. Data from whole-body burden measurements of 134Cs, 137Cs, and 40K in various Swedish populations between 1964 and 2002 have been compiled. This database enables an evaluation of the temporal and geographical dependence of the transfer of radiocesium from ground deposition to humans and the associated absorbed dose. The body burdens of 137Cs gradually decrease after the peak values reached in 1965 from nuclear weapons fallout and in 1987 from the Chernobyl fallout, but at a varying rate depending on the population. Assuming a dual exponential decrease, a short-term component of typically 1-2 y and a long-term component of 5-10 y are found in urban populations in Sweden. Among reindeer herders and hunters the effective ecological half-time is mono-exponential with a half-time of 5-7 y. The estimated time-integrated effective dose to an individual during a period of 50 y from the Chernobyl fallout is, on average, approximately 10 mSv for reindeer herders, which is 10-100 times higher than the estimated dose received by urban populations in the three major Swedish urban areas (Malmö, Göteborg, and Stockholm).

Body Burden↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nuclear weapons and the law.

The history of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is summarized, with a discussion of some of its earlier Advisory Opinions. The Advisory Opinion on the legality of nuclear arms is considered in the light of the principles of international humanitarian law and a review of nuclear weapons effects. The present government's position on nuclear weapons as outlined in the Strategic Defence Review (which ignores the issue of legality) is examined critically.

Humans↗
PubMed2003

Under-ascertainment of multiple myeloma among participants in UK atmospheric atomic and nuclear weapons tests.

An inter-comparison of cases of multiple myeloma among UK participants in the UK's atmospheric atomic and nuclear weapons tests ascertained by direct follow up methods detected at least a third more cases than a strategy relying solely on data linkage between the Office of National Statistics and the Service Records Offices. These finding have implications for the conduct and robustness of follow up studies of long term health effects among participants in nuclear weapons tests.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMed1990

Follow up of New Zealand participants in British atmospheric nuclear weapons tests in the Pacific.

OBJECTIVE: To study the health of Royal New Zealand Navy personnel who participated in atmospheric nuclear weapons tests conducted by the United Kingdom at Malden Island and Christmas Island in 1957 and 1958. DESIGN: Blinded, controlled follow up of up to 30 years. SETTING: New Zealand. SUBJECTS: 528 Men known to have participated in the tests and a control group of 1504 men who were in the Royal New Zealand Navy during the same period but did not participate in the tests. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mortality and incidence of cancer. RESULTS: Follow up for the period 1957-87 was 94% complete in test participants and 91% complete in the controls. There were 70 deaths among test participants and 179 deaths among controls, yielding a relative risk of 1.08 (90% confidence interval 0.85 to 1.38, p = 0.29). The relative risk of death from causes other than cancer was 0.96 (0.71 to 1.29, p = 0.59) whereas the relative risk of death from cancer was 1.38 (0.90 to 2.10, p = 0.09) and of the incidence of cancer was 1.12 (0.78 to 1.60, p = 0.29). For cancers other than haematological malignancies the relative risk was 1.14 (0.69 to 1.83, p = 0.31) for mortality and 1.01 (0.67 to 1.50, p = 0.48) for incidence. There were seven deaths from haematological cancers among test participants (relative risk 3.25, 90% confidence interval 1.12 to 9.64, p = 0.02), including four leukaemias (5.58, 1.04 to 41.6, p = 0.03). The relative risk for incidence of haematological cancers was 1.94 (0.74 to 4.84, p = 0.10) and that for leukaemia was 5.51 (1.03 to 41.1, p = 0.03). There were no cases of multiple myeloma in the test participants during the follow up period, but the expected number was only 0.3. CONCLUSIONS: Although the numbers are small, the findings for leukaemia are similar to those for British participants in the nuclear weapons test programme. Some leukaemias, and possibly some other haematological cancers, may have resulted from participation in this programme. There is little evidence of an increased risk for non-haematological cancers, and there is no evidence of an increased risk for causes of death other than cancer.

Cause of Death↗
PubMed1993

Further follow up of mortality and incidence of cancer in men from the United Kingdom who participated in the United Kingdom's atmospheric nuclear weapon tests and experimental programmes.

OBJECTIVES: To study the long term effects of participation in the United Kingdom's atmospheric nuclear weapon tests and experimental programmes and to test hypotheses generated by an earlier report, including the possibility that participation in tests caused small hazards of leukaemia and multiple myeloma. DESIGN: Follow up study of mortality and cancer incidence. SUBJECTS: 21,358 servicemen and civilians from the United Kingdom who participated in the tests and a control group of 22,333 non-participants. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Numbers of deaths; standardised mortality ratios; relative risks of mortality from all causes and 27 types of cancer. RESULTS: During seven further years of follow up the numbers of deaths observed in participants were fewer than expected from national rates for all causes, all neoplasms, leukaemia, and multiple myeloma (standardised mortality ratios 0.86, 0.85, 0.57, and 0.46); death rates were lower than in controls (relative risks 0.99, 0.96, 0.57, and 0.57; 90% confidence intervals all included 1.00). In the period more than 10 years after the initial participation in tests the relative risk of death in participants compared with controls was near unity for all causes (relative risk 0.99 (0.95 to 1.04) and all neoplasms (0.95 (0.87 to 1.04)); it was raised for bladder cancer (2.69 (1.42 to 5.20)) and reduced for cancers of the mouth, tongue, and pharynx (0.45 (0.22 to 0.93)) and for lung cancer (0.85 (0.73 to 0.99)). For leukaemia mortality was equal to that expected from national rates but greater than in controls for both the whole follow up period (1.75 (1.01 to 3.06)) and the period 2-25 years after the tests (3.38 (1.45 to 8.25)). CONCLUSION: Participation in nuclear weapon tests had no detectable effect on expectation of life or on subsequent risk of developing cancer or other fatal diseases. The excess of leukaemia in participants compared with controls seems to be principally due to a chance deficit in the controls, but the possibility that participation in the tests may have caused a small risk of leukaemia in the early years afterwards cannot be ruled out.

Environmental Exposure↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Puff the magic dragon: how our understanding of fallout, residual and induced radiation evolved over fifty years of nuclear weapons testing.

Radiobiological science has proceeded on empirical principles since health physics became a necessary professional adjunct to the military and civilian uses of nuclear energy in the aftermath of the detonations at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This paper reviews the data which gradually emerged indicating that early assumptions about the detonation of atomic and nuclear weapons underestimated the significance of fallout, residual and induced radiation as health hazards. Many of these assumptions are being examined in three test cases concerning veterans of United Kingdom atomic and nuclear weapons tests heard by the European Court of Human Rights in November 1997.

History, 20th Century↗
PubMed2006

Reconstruction of external dose from beta radiation sources of nuclear weapon origin.

In response to requests from the Department of Veterans Affairs, a methodology was developed to assess the external dose accrued by personnel in the vicinity of beta radiation sources of nuclear weapon origin. This methodology has been applied in support of the Nuclear Test Personnel Review (NTPR) Program implemented by the Department of Defense. As required by the Code of Federal Regulations (Title 32, Part 218 and Title 38, Part 3.311), the NTPR Program must evaluate radiological hazards from nuclear testing activities that include alpha particle, beta particle, neutron, and photon emissions from radionuclides. Prior to the development of this methodology, only photon and neutron radiations were explicitly quantified for external dose assessments in this program. Alpha radiation of external origin presents no risk for biological effects due to external dose potential to skin tissue because of the particle's very limited range. However, beta particles are sufficiently penetrating to have such potential. Methods are provided to quantify ionizing radiation doses to the skin and lens of the eye from beta radiation sources of nuclear weapon origin located external to the body. This formulation allows the estimation of beta dose from a film badge (gamma) dose or from an equivalent reconstructed gamma dose.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2001

Integrating workplace exposure databases for occupational medicine services and epidemiologic studies at a former nuclear weapons facility.

We outline methods for integrating epidemiologic and industrial hygiene data systems for the purpose of exposure estimation, exposure surveillance, worker notification, and occupational medicine practice. We present examples of these methods from our work at the Rocky Flats Plant--a former nuclear weapons facility that fabricated plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons and is now being decontaminated and decommissioned. The weapons production processes exposed workers to plutonium, gamma photons, neutrons, beryllium, asbestos, and several hazardous chemical agents, including chlorinated hydrocarbons and heavy metals. We developed a job exposure matrix (JEM) for estimating exposures to 10 chemical agents in 20 buildings for 120 different job categories over a production history spanning 34 years. With the JEM, we estimated lifetime chemical exposures for about 12,000 of the 16,000 former production workers. We show how the JEM database is used to estimate cumulative exposures over different time periods for epidemiological studies and to provide notification and determine eligibility for a medical screening program developed for former workers. We designed an industrial hygiene data system for maintaining exposure data for current cleanup workers. We describe how this system can be used for exposure surveillance and linked with the JEM and databases on radiation doses to develop lifetime exposure histories and to determine appropriate medical monitoring tests for current cleanup workers. We also present time-line-based graphical methods for reviewing and correcting exposure estimates and reporting them to individual workers.

Colorado↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Blood money: the duty of care to veterans of UK nuclear weapons tests.

Fifty years after the first UK nuclear weapon test at Monte Bello off the north-west coast of Australia in October 1952, this article documents the deliberate and repeated decisions not to provide adequate radiation protection to most of the 40,000 men who participated in the British programme in the 1950s in Australia and Christmas Island, precisely to avoid future liability claims. The evidence lies in the minutes and memoranda of the scientists, doctors and military leaders overseeing these tests. Archival material in the United Kingdom Public Records Office and the National Archives of Australia is, according to senior barristers, sufficient to sustain an allegation of negligence, even by the standards of 50 years ago, against the government of the day and an allegation of cover-up by the current government, faced with potentially huge compensation bills and pension pay-outs for long-term radiation injury to former servicemen. Recent governments have tried to reassure the veterans with epidemiological studies, which are almost inevitably inconclusive. However, pilot studies have now begun on radiobiological tests that may be able to determine whether a particular individual was irradiated significantly 40 or 50 years ago and whether he has subsequently suffered cancers or other ill health because of this radiation burden. The first results from these studies should be available around the time of the fiftieth anniversary of the first UK test.

Environmental Exposure↗
PubMed2000

Pantex: safety in nuclear weapons processing.

The Pantex Plant, located in the Texas panhandle near Amarillo, is a major Department of Energy (DOE) participant in maintaining the safety of the nation's nuclear weapons resources and protecting the employees, public, and environment. With more than 168,000 person-years of operations involving nuclear materials, explosives, and hazardous chemicals, Pantex has maintained a notable safety record. This article overviews the nuclear weapon activities at Pantex and describes their safety culture.

Humans↗
PubMed2003

The relationship of thyroid cancer with radiation exposure from nuclear weapon testing in the Marshall Islands.

The US nuclear weapons testing program in the Pacific conducted between 1946 and 1958 resulted in radiation exposure in the Marshall Islands. The potentially widespread radiation exposure from radio-iodines of fallout has raised concerns about the risk of thyroid cancer in the Marshallese population. The most serious exposures and its health hazards resulted from the hydrogen-thermonuclear bomb test, the Castle BRAVO, on March 1, 1954. Between 1993 and 1997, we screened 3,709 Marshallese for thyroid disease who were born before the BRAVO test. It was 60% of the entire population at risk and who were still alive at the time of our examinations. We diagnosed 30 thyroid cancers and found 27 other study participants who had been operated for thyroid cancer before our screening in this group. Fifty-seven Marshallese born before 1954 (1.5%) had thyroid cancer or had been operated for thyroid cancer. Nearly all (92%) of these cancers were papillary carcinoma. We derived estimates of individual thyroid dose proxy from the BRAVO test in 1954 on the basis of published age-specific doses estimated on Utirik atoll and 137Cs deposition levels on the atolls where the participants came from. There was suggestive evidence that the prevalence of thyroid cancer increased with category of estimated dose to the thyroid.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Public distrust and hazard management success at the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant.

Based on experience gained while serving a public oversight commission appointed by the governor of Colorado, hazard management at the Department of Energy's Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant is reviewed. Specific reference is made to the plant's history of controversy, its defense-in-depth strategy of hazard control, occupational health issues, public exposure to plutonium, and the assessment of low-probability, high-consequence risks. This leads to the conclusion that Rocky Flats is, by any objective standard, a hazard management success. It follows that public distrust of Rocky Flats arises as much from fear and loathing of nuclear weapons themselves as from the manufacturing process by which they are made.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed1997

Further follow-up of New Zealand participants in United Kingdom atmospheric nuclear weapons tests in the Pacific.

We previously reported a study of deaths and cancer incidence in Royal New Zealand (RNZ) Navy personnel who participated in atmospheric nuclear weapons tests conducted by the United Kingdom in the Pacific in 1957-58. The study involved 528 men known to have participated in the tests, and a control group of 1,504 men who were in the RNZ Navy during the same period but were not involved in the tests. The original follow-up was carried out for the period 1957-87 with an observed increase in risk of leukemia and other hematologic cancers, but little or no increase of non-hematologic cancers or non-cancer deaths in test participants. Follow-up now has been extended for the period 1988-92. For the total follow-up period, there were 97 deaths in test participants and 256 deaths in controls, a relative risk (RR) of 1.1 (90 percent confidence interval [CI] = 0.9-1.3). The RR of death from causes other than cancer was 1.0 (CI = 0.8-1.3), whereas the RR of cancer death was 1.2 (CI = 0.8-1.7) and that of cancer incidence was 1.0 (CI = 0.8-1.4). For cancers other than hematologic malignancies, the RR was 1.0 (CI = 0.7-1.5) for mortality, and 1.0 (CI = 0.7-1.3) for incidence. However, there were eight deaths from hematologic cancers in test participants (RR = 3.8, CI = 1.4-10.8), including four leukemias (RR = 5.6, CI = 1.0-41.7). The RR for incidence of hematologic cancers was 1.9 (CI = 0.8-4.3), and that for leukemia was 5.6 (CI = 1.0-41.6). We concluded that the evidence is still consistent with the hypothesis that some leukemias and other hematologic cancers may have resulted from participation in the nuclear weapons test program, but the further follow-up strengthens the evidence that there is no increased risk for non-hematologic cancers or for causes of death other than cancer in the test participants.

Confidence Intervals↗