External radiation exposure and mortality in a cohort of uranium processing workers

In a study of 2,514 White male workers employed between 1942 and 1966 at a US uranium processing plant, mortality was compared with overall US mortali ty, and the relation between external ionizing radiation and cancer was eva luated. Through 1993, 1,013 deaths occurred. The mean cumulative dose was 4 7.8 mSv. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was 0.90 for all causes of death and 1.05 for all cancers. Many cancer sites had elevated SMRs, Among nonmalignant outcomes, the SMR for chronic nephritis was 1.88 (six deaths o bserved). An excess relative risk estimate of 10.5 per Sv (10 cases) was ob served for kidney cancer; this may have resulted from chance, internal radi ation, or chemical exposures not considered.