Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Childhood leukaemia near British nuclear installations
T2 - methodological issues and recent results
AU - Bithell, John F.
AU - Keegan, Thomas J.
AU - Kroll, M. E.
AU - Murphy, M. F. G.
AU - Vincent, T. J.
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - In 2008, the German Childhood Cancer Registry published the results of the Kinderkrebs in der Umgebung von Kernkraftwerken (KiKK) study of childhood cancer and leukaemia around German nuclear power stations. The positive findings appeared to conflict with the results of a recent British analysis carried out by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE), published in 2005. The present paper first describes the COMARE study, which was based on data from the National Registry of Children's Tumours (NRCT); in particular, the methodology used in this study is described. Although the results of the COMARE study were negative for childhood leukaemia, this apparent discrepancy could be accounted for by a number of differences in approach, especially those relating to the distances from the power stations and the ages of the children studied. The present study was designed to match the KiKK study as far as possible. The incidence observed (18 cases within 5 km against 14.58 expected, p = 0.21) was not significantly raised. The risk estimate for proximity in the regression fitted was actually negative, though the confidence intervals involved are so wide that the difference from that reported in the KiKK study is only marginally statistically significant (p = 0.063).
AB - In 2008, the German Childhood Cancer Registry published the results of the Kinderkrebs in der Umgebung von Kernkraftwerken (KiKK) study of childhood cancer and leukaemia around German nuclear power stations. The positive findings appeared to conflict with the results of a recent British analysis carried out by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE), published in 2005. The present paper first describes the COMARE study, which was based on data from the National Registry of Children's Tumours (NRCT); in particular, the methodology used in this study is described. Although the results of the COMARE study were negative for childhood leukaemia, this apparent discrepancy could be accounted for by a number of differences in approach, especially those relating to the distances from the power stations and the ages of the children studied. The present study was designed to match the KiKK study as far as possible. The incidence observed (18 cases within 5 km against 14.58 expected, p = 0.21) was not significantly raised. The risk estimate for proximity in the regression fitted was actually negative, though the confidence intervals involved are so wide that the difference from that reported in the KiKK study is only marginally statistically significant (p = 0.063).
KW - Body Burden
KW - Child
KW - Environmental Exposure
KW - Epidemiologic Studies
KW - Great Britain
KW - Humans
KW - Incidence
KW - Leukemia, Radiation-Induced
KW - Nuclear Power Plants
KW - Radiation Monitoring
KW - Risk Assessment
KW - Risk Factors
KW - Young Adult
U2 - 10.1093/rpd/ncn254
DO - 10.1093/rpd/ncn254
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 18936090
VL - 132
SP - 191
EP - 197
JO - Radiation Protection Dosimetry
JF - Radiation Protection Dosimetry
SN - 1742-3406
IS - 2
ER -