Gardner report: Leukemia and radiation

Article Abstract:

In February 1990, a study was reported by Martin Gardner and colleagues that showed a high incidence of leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in children who lived near Sellafield, England, which was attributed to the radiation exposure of the children's fathers who worked in a nuclear reprocessing plant. However, it is still not clear if the leukemia was actually caused by this exposure. The relative risk of leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was approximately double for children whose fathers worked at the reprocessing plant, but the relative risks were also doubled for children of farmers, iron and steel workers, and chemical workers in Sellafield. No information is available on environmental chemicals in the area. There were six-to eight-fold greater risks of leukemia in children of fathers who had accumulated more than 100 milliSieverts before the conception of the child. However, this is not consistent with the fact that an increase in the incidence of leukemia has not been seen in the offspring of the survivors of the atom-bomb in Japan. However, this may be due to the differences in the doses received by these individuals; an accumulation of small doses occurred in Sellafield, and a one-time large dose affected the individuals in Japan. There is no evidence that leukemia is inheritable. There are cases of familial childhood leukemia which occur more often in certain families than can be explained by chance, but predisposing factors such as the transmission of a infectious agent, or the exposure to a chemical cannot ruled out. The genetic changes that occur in leukemia affect the somatic cells, cells that are present in an individual but are not passed on to their offspring. Most leukemias seen in Sellafield were acute lymphocytic leukemias, the most common childhood leukemia. Approximately one half of all acute lymphocytic leukemias contain chromosomal translocations (portions of the chromosomes are moved to other areas of the chromosomes) and involve the activation of oncogenes (genes that are involved in the abnormal growth in cancer). These chromosomal changes take place only in the cancerous cells, not in every cell of the body. If these chromosomal changes occurred at the embryo stage, the embryo would die. Therefore, it is felt that the low doses of radiation could not cause an inherited mutational change in the offspring of radiation workers. It is possible that the radioactive substance may have been concentrated internally in the sexual organs of the workers. It is also possible that the workers were exposed to other hazards, such as chemicals. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Analysis, Causes of, Occupational diseases, Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, Tumors, Radiation-induced, Radiation carcinogenesis

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Data in search of explanation

Article Abstract:

The disparity among several published research reports concerning the relationship between childhood cancer death and proximity to a nuclear installation is discussed. Studies from Britain have found an increased number of childhood leukemia cases near some installations, while a French study, reported in the October 25, 1990 issue of Nature, found no increase. Some reports show a positive effect on childhood death rates as a result of living near a nuclear facility; these results came from French and US researchers who compared community death rates before and after nuclear installations were built. The findings seem to be in conflict with the British reports. Another set of results adds to the interpretive confusion. In the work of Leo Kinlen, children up to age four in 'rural' New Towns (which contain people from diverse ethnic backgrounds) had a higher death rate from leukemia than children in 'overspill' New Towns (containing ethnically mixed populations). The density of preschool children was considerably higher in the rural Towns, and regions with the greatest density also had the greatest death rate. The patterns were interpreted to suggest that infection with a viral agent could underlie leukemia. Consistent with this theory, older children (between 5 and 24) had lower death rates from leukemia, indicating that they had been 'immunized' against the disease earlier in life. Another study in the US found an increased incidence of adult leukemia from 1978 to 1983 (but not afterwards) near 'the worst run' nuclear plant in the country, the Pilgrim plant, in Massachusetts. Studies at Sellafield, in Britain, also found a relationship between paternal radiation exposure and childhood leukemia. The data collected thus far remain to be interpreted in a way that is completely satisfactory. However, the infection hypothesis is becoming increasingly acceptable. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Research, Demographic aspects, Nuclear power plants, Childhood leukemia, Leukemia in children

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Missing link at Sellafield (Radiation-induced leukemia at a nuclear plant) (column)

Article Abstract:

It is believed that the families in the area of Sellafield, England, where a high incidence of leukemia has been seen in children whose fathers work at the nuclear reprocessing plant, should be examined for chromosomal abnormalities. Irradiation has been shown to induce mutations in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, which can be repaired by cellular mechanisms. However, once the chromosomes are rearranged the cell cannot repair the chromosomes and the rearranged genes can be passed on to the offspring. Chromosomal abnormalities are detected where portions of the chromosomes have been deleted, inverted, or translocated (when a portion of a chromosome is moved to another location on the chromosome). Specific sites in the chromosome where breakage occurs, known as breakpoints, are associated with certain cancers. By characterizing these breakpoints, the genes that have been disrupted are analyzed, and the role these genes have in the development of cancer is studied. As stated in an article in volume 344 of Nature, although statistical evidence cannot prove that the irradiation caused cancer in the children surrounding Sellafield, molecular biology can. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Genetic aspects, Radiation, column

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