Mortality from circulatory system diseases and low-level radon exposure in the French cohort study of uranium miners, 1946-1999 - IRSN - Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire
Article Dans Une Revue Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health Année : 2010

Mortality from circulatory system diseases and low-level radon exposure in the French cohort study of uranium miners, 1946-1999

Résumé

Objectives: The few studies examining the risk of circulatory system diseases (CSD) associated with ionizing radiation have reported inconsistent results. Radon, a known pulmonary carcinogen, emits ionizing radiation. The aim of this study was to examine CSD mortality in a French cohort of uranium miners and evaluate the plausibility of an association with radon exposure. Methods: The cohort included men employed as uranium miners for ≥1 year between 1946-1990. We obtained vital status and cause of death from national registers and reconstructed radon exposure for each year. Exposure - risk relations were estimated with a linear excess relative risk (ERR) model using a 5-year lag time. Results: The cohort comprised 5086 miners, followed up for a mean duration of 30.1 years. The average cumulative exposure of the radon-exposed miners was 36.6 working level months (WLM). A total of 1411 deaths were observed, including 319 deaths due to CSD. No excess risk was found for this overall cause of death. A significant positive trend was observed between deaths from cerebrovascular diseases (CeVD) and cumulative radon exposure, together with a significant ERR per 100 WLM [ERR per 100 WLM 0.49, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.07-1.23)]. Hard physical activity was identified as a potential modifying factor of the exposure-risk relation. Conclusions: For the first time in a cohort of uranium miners, our results suggest an association between CeVD mortality and cumulative radon exposure. Due to a lack of data, which limited our ability to assess possible confounding by cardiovascular risk factors, these findings should be interpreted with caution.

Dates et versions

hal-02975650 , version 1 (22-10-2020)

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S. Nusinovici, B. Vacquier, K. Leuraud, C. Metz-Flamant, S. Caër-Lorho, et al.. Mortality from circulatory system diseases and low-level radon exposure in the French cohort study of uranium miners, 1946-1999. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, 2010, 36 (5), pp.373-383. ⟨10.5271/sjweh.2896⟩. ⟨hal-02975650⟩
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