THE UTAH LEUKEMIA CASE-CONTROL STUDY - DOSIMETRY METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS

This paper discusses the dosimetry methodology used to estimate bone m arrow dose and the results of dosimetry calculations for 6,507 subject s in an epidemiologic case-control study of leukemia among Utah reside nts, The estimated doses were used to determine if a higher incidence of leukemia among residents of Utah could have been attributed to expo sure to radioactive fallout from above-ground nuclear weapons tests co nducted at the Nevada Test Site, The objective of the dosimetry method ology was to estimate absorbed dose to active marrow specific to each case and each control subject. Data on the residence of each subject w ere available from records of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Deposition of fallout was determined from databases developed using historical measurements and exposure for each subject from each test was estimated using those data, Exposure was converted to dose b y applying an age-dependent dose conversion factor and a factor for sh ielding, The median dose for all case and control subjects was 3.2 mGy , The maximum estimated mean dose for any case or control was 29 +/- 5 .6 mGy (a resident of Washington County, UT), Uncertainties were estim ated for each estimated dose, The results of the dosimetry calculation s were applied in an epidemiological analysis.