Bone cancers in Mayak workers

Bone cancer mortality risks were evaluated in 11,000 workers who started wo rking at the "Mayak" Production Association in 1948-1958 and who were expos ed to both internally deposited plutonium and external gamma radiation. Com parisons with Russian and U.S, general population rates indicate excess mor tality, especially among females, plutonium plant workers, and workers with external doses exceeding 1 Sv. Comparisons within the Mayak worker cohort, which evaluate the role of plutonium body burden with adjustment for cumul ative external dose, indicate excess mortality among workers with burdens e stimated to exceed 7.4 kBq (relative risk = 7.9; 95% CI = 1.6-32) and among workers in the plutonium plant who did not have routine plutonium monitori ng data based on urine measurements (relative risk = 4.1; 95% CI = 1.2-14), In addition, analyses treating the estimated plutonium body burden as a co ntinuous variable indicate increasing risk with increasing burden (P < 0.00 1). Because of limitations In current plutonium dosimetry, no attempt was m ade to quantify bone cancer risks from plutonium in terms of organ dose, an d risk from external dose could not be reliably evaluated. (C) 2000 by Radi ation Research Society.