Buccal mucosa micronuclei counts in relation to exposure to low dose-rate radiation from the Chornobyl nuclear accident and other medical and occupational radiation exposures.

BACKGROUND: Ionizing radiation is a well-known carcinogen. Chromosome aberrations, and in particular micronuclei represent an early biological predictor of cancer risk. There are well-documented associations of micronuclei with ionizing radiation dose in some radiation-exposed groups, although not all. That associations are not seen in all radiation-exposed groups may be because cells with micronuclei will not generally pass through mitosis, so that radiation-induced micronuclei decay, generally within a few years after exposure. METHODS: Buccal samples from a group of 111 male workers in Ukraine exposed to ionizing radiation during the cleanup activities at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant were studied. Samples were taken between 12 and 18 years after their last radiation exposure from the Chornobyl cleanup. The frequency of binucleated micronuclei was analyzed in relation to estimated bone marrow dose from the cleanup activities along with a number of environmental/occupational risk factors using Poisson regression adjusted for overdispersion. RESULTS: Among the 105 persons without a previous cancer diagnosis, the mean Chornobyl-related dose was 59.5 mSv (range 0-748.4 mSv). There was a borderline significant increase in micronuclei frequency among those reporting work as an industrial radiographer compared with all others, with a relative risk of 6.19 (95% CI 0.90, 31.08, 2-sided p = 0.0729), although this was based on a single person. There was a borderline significant positive radiation dose response for micronuclei frequency with increase in micronuclei per 1000 scored cells per Gy of 3.03 (95% CI -0.78, 7.65, 2-sided p = 0.1170), and a borderline significant reduction of excess relative MN prevalence with increasing time since last exposure (p = 0.0949). There was a significant (p = 0.0388) reduction in MN prevalence associated with bone X-ray exposure, but no significant trend (p = 0.3845) of MN prevalence with numbers of bone X-ray procedures. CONCLUSIONS: There are indications of increasing trends of micronuclei prevalence with Chornobyl-cleanup-associated dose, and indications of reduction in radiation-associated excess prevalence of micronuclei with time after exposure. There are also indications of substantially increased micronuclei associated with work as an industrial radiographer. This analysis adds to the understanding of the long-term effects of low-dose radiation exposures on relevant cellular structures and methods appropriate for long-term radiation biodosimetry.

Non-radiation risk factors for leukemia: A case-control study among chornobyl cleanup workers in Ukraine.

BACKGROUND: Occupational and environmental exposure to chemicals such as benzene has been linked to increased risk of leukemia. Cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption have also been found to affect leukemia risk. Previous analyses in a large cohort of Chornobyl clean-up workers in Ukraine found significant radiation-related increased risk for all leukemia types. We investigated the potential for additional effects of occupational and lifestyle factors on leukemia risk in this radiation-exposed cohort. METHODS: In a case-control study of chronic lymphocytic and other leukemias among Chornobyl cleanup workers, we collected data on a range of non-radiation exposures. We evaluated these and other potential risk factors in analyses adjusting for estimated bone marrow radiation dose. We calculated Odds Ratios and 95% Confidence Intervals in relation to lifestyle factors and occupational hazards. RESULTS: After adjusting for radiation, we found no clear association of leukemia risk with smoking or alcohol but identified a two-fold elevated risk for non-CLL leukemia with occupational exposure to petroleum (OR=2.28; 95% Confidence Interval 1.13, 6.79). Risks were particularly high for myeloid leukemias. No associations with risk factors other than radiation were found for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. CONCLUSIONS: These data - the first from a working population in Ukraine - add to evidence from several previous reports of excess leukemia morbidity in groups exposed environmentally or occupationally to petroleum or its products.

THYROID CANCER INCIDENCE IN THE POPULATION OF UKRAINE AND ITS EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DETERMINANTS: IONIZING RADIATION AND ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS. / ЧАСТОТА РАКУ ЩИТОПОДІБНОЇ ЗАЛОЗИ У НАСЕЛЕННЯ УКРАЇНИ ТА ЙОГО ЕПІДЕМІОЛОГІЧНІ ДЕТЕРМІНАНТИ: ІОНІЗУЮЧЕ ВИПРОМІНЮВАННЯ ТА ЕНДОКРИННІ РУЙНІВНИКИ.

OBJECTIVE: to estimate the risk of thyroid cancer incidence in the population of Ukraine in connection with its exposure to radioactive iodine fallout of Chornobyl origin and the use of pesticides in agricultural production in the country. OBJECT OF STUDY: Incidence rates of thyroid cancer in the population of Ukraine in 2001-2019, average regional radiation doses absorbed by the thyroid because of the Chornobyl accident, the volume of use of various groups of pesticides in the regions of Ukraine. RESEARCH METHODS: statistical, mathematical and cartographic. RESULTS: The study covering the period of 2001-2019, revealed significant temporal and regional differences in the thyroid cancer incidence in the population of the Ukraine regions in 2001-2019. The existence of a significant correlation between the thyroid cancer incidence and the amount of radiation exposure to the thyroid associated with the Chornobyl accident was established. The existence of a significant correlation between the thyroid cancer incidence and the degree of pesticide use intensity in agriculture in the Ukraine regions was established. A significant value of multiple correlation r = 0.5866 (p < 0.05) was found between the thyroid cancer incidence in Ukraine andthe average regional radiation doses and the pesticide use intensity in agricultural production in the country. CONCLUSIONS: A reliable value of the multiple correlation between the value of the average regional radiation exposure doses to the thyroid associated with the Chornobyl accident and the degree of pesticide use intensity in the national economy of Ukraine and the thyroid cancer incidence in the population was determined.

LATE ONCOLOGICAL AFTEREFFECTS OF RADIATION EXPOSURE CAUSED BY THE CHORNOBYL ACCIDENT. / VIDDALENI ONKOLOGIChNI NASLIDKY RADIATsIINOGO OPROMINENNIa, SPRYChYNENOGO AVARIIeIu NA ChORNOBYL'S'KII AES.

Studies of the longterm oncological consequences after the Chornobyl accident show a significant impact of radiation exposure on the cancer incidence rate in affected population in Ukraine. This is supported by the increased radiation risk of leukaemia in liquidators, which exceeds national population rates, and its value is comparable to the data on hibakushi, who were subjected to Abombings. For the first time in the cleanup workers cohort the radiation dependence of chronic lymphoid leukaemia was established. There are radiation associated risks of leukemia in children who have been exposed to radiation from the Chornobyl accident. There has been registered an increase of thyroid cancer incidence in children and adults (liquidators, evacuees from the 30km exclusion zone and residents of the most contaminated territories). There is an excess of breast cancer in female liquidators. The frequency of all forms of malignant neoplasms decreases over time but still exceeds national rates. Further monitoring of malignant neoplasms in the groups of affected population will allow evaluating the radiation risks of cancer forms whose radiationassociated manifestation is already known from previous studies or can be expected in the future.

Thyroid cancer incidence in Ukraine: trends with reference to the Chernobyl accident.

For the first time, a comparative analysis of thyroid cancer incidence in Ukraine after the Chernobyl accident was done in a cohort that is almost as large as the general population. On the basis of thyroid doses from radioactive iodine in individuals aged 1-18 years at the time of accident, geographic regions of Ukraine with low and high average accumulated thyroid doses were established and designated "low-exposure" and "high-exposure" territories, respectively. A significant difference of thyroid cancer incidence rates as a function of time between the two territories was found. That is, the increase in the incidence was higher in high-exposure regions than in low-exposure regions. The incidence rates varied substantially among the different attained age-groups, especially in the youngest one (up to 19 years old). The analysis that was adjusted for screening and technological effects also indicated that in the high-exposure regions, thyroid cancer incidence rates at the age of diagnosis of 5-9, 10-14 and 15-19 years were significantly higher in those born in 1982-1986 compared to those born in 1987-1991, while in the low-exposure regions, no significant difference was observed. The observed probable excess of radiation-induced thyroid cancer cases in adults exposed to radioactive iodine from the Chernobyl accident, especially in females, may be due to the high power of the present study. However, it should be noted that our investigation was not essentially free from ecological biases.

INCIDENCE OF MALIGNANT NEOPLASMS AMONG RESIDENTS OF SMALL RADIONUCLIDE-CONTAMINATED CHORNOBYL DISTRICTS IN A POST-ACCIDENT PERIOD. / ZAKhVORIuVANIST' NA ZLOIaKISNI NOVOUTVORENNIa MEShKANTsIV MALYKh ZABRUDNENYKh RADIONUKLIDAMY TERYTORIAL'NYKh ODYNYTs' ChORNOBYL'S'KOGO REGIONU U VIDDALENOMU PISLIaAVARIINOMU PERIODI.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the level of risks of development of malignant neoplasms among the residents of smallChornobyl districts («rayons¼) in connection with low-dose radiation exposure and its dynamic changes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population included residents of Borodianka, Ivankiv and Poliske districts ofKyiv region («oblast¼) and Luhyny, Narodychi and Ovruch districts of Zhytomyr region, 175,100 inhabitants in2017. The study period was 1980-2017. All cancers incidence rates as well as rates of potentially radiation-associated sites (breast, thyroid, hematopoietic and lymphoid systems) were calculated and analysed. Methods of variation statistics, descriptive and analytical epidemiology were used. RESULTS: The impact of ionizing radiation on population of the most radionuclide-contaminated districts raisesconcerns of the potential threat of adverse cancer effects, especially thyroid cancer. The average total whole-bodyeffective radiation doses received due to cesium during long time (1986-2005) among residents of the study districts (7.6-45.8 mSv) exceeded that in Zhytomyr (5.9 mSv), Kyiv (4.9 mSv) regions and Ukraine as a whole (2.48mSv), but also in other districts in the North Ukraine. The average doses of internal radiation absorbed by the thyroid gland (161-1559 mGy) among the most vulnerable population - children and adolescents (aged 0-18 yearsat the time of the accident) of these areas, and obtained in the short post-accident period, significantly exceedthat in Zhytomyr (87 mGy), Kyiv (81 mGy) regions and Ukraine as a whole (19 mGy). Irradiation rates of adult residents of these territories were lower, but significantly exceeded the average doses received by the population ofUkraine and large administrative units. Overall cancer incidence in the 6 districts during pre- and post-accidentperiods was lower comparing to Ukraine's and Kyiv region's rates, and did not significantly differ from Zhytomyrregion's rates. At the same time, the incidence rates of thyroid cancer significantly exceeded that of the pre-accident period as well as Zhytomyr region's rates. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study indicate needs for further monitoring of malignant neoplasms not only inthe population of Ukraine as a whole and its large administrative-territorial units, but also among residents of particular areas, given the likelihood of the realization of the risks of radiation-associated diseases in the distantpost-accident period in accordance with local environmental conditions.

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF BREAST CANCER IN UKRAINE WITH CONSIDERATION OF THE FACTORS OF THE CHORNOBYL ACCIDENT. / EPIDEMIOLOGIIa RAKU MOLOChNOÏ ZALOZY V UKRAÏNI Z URAKhUVANNIaM FAKTORIV RYZYKU ChORNOBYL'S'KOÏ AVARIÏ.

OBJECTIVE: Assessment of the possible impact of the Chornobyl accident on the incidence of breast cancer in the female population of Ukraine as a whole and in some affected groups. OBJECT OF THE STUDY: The female population of Ukraine as a whole and in separate groups of victims - women par- ticipating in the clean-up works in 1986-1987, evacuaees from the exclusion zone and inhabitants of the territo- ries most contaminated with radionuclides. METHODS: Statistical, mathematical, cartographic. RESULTS: This study, covering a significant period of time (1976-2016), revealed a steady temporal and territorial agglomeration of regions with a higher incidence of breast cancer in the southern and south-eastern regions of Ukraine. Lower - in the western and northern regions. There is a steady increase in the incidence rate, but in recent years this growth has slowed down. The epidemiological situation regarding the incidence of breast cancer in the female population of Ukraine during the 30 years after the Chornobyl accident is generally stable. At the same time, a marked increase in the frequency of this pathology in the groups of the affected population, especially in women, participated in clean-up works in 1986-1987. CONCLUSIONS: A stable agglomeration of regions with high levels of incidence in the south and south-east, and low in the west and north of the country is determined. The dynamics of breast cancer in Ukraine as a whole is characterized by steady growth, although in recent years its pace has slightly decreased. Among the individual population groups affected by the Chornobyl catastrophe (female liquidators, evacuated women from the exclusion zone, residents of the most contaminated with radionuclides territories) only among female liquidators of 1986-1987 the significant in- crease was observed in the incidence of breast cancer, which exceeds the national indicators at 1.3-1.6 times.

The Ukrainian-American study of leukemia and related disorders among Chornobyl cleanup workers from Ukraine: I. Study methods.

There are relatively few data on the risk of leukemia among those exposed to external radiation during cleanup operations after the Chornobyl nuclear accident, and results have not been consistent. To investigate this further, we assembled a cohort of 110,645 male cleanup workers from Ukraine and identified cases of leukemia occurring during the period 1986 to 2000. Detailed interviews were conducted and individual bone marrow doses estimated using a new time-and-motion method known as RADRUE described in companion paper II. For the initial analyses we used a nested case-control approach with a minimum of five controls per case, matched for year of birth, oblast (region) of registration, and residence. All identified cases were reviewed by an international panel of experts; 87 of 111 were confirmed. The dose-response analysis and results are given in companion paper III. As background, we describe herein the design, procedures, outcome of case finding and confirmation, control selection, dose estimation and interviewing of subjects.

RADIATION RISKS OF THYROID CANCER IN CHORNOBYL CLEAN-UP WORKERS USING THE ALTERNATIVE ESTIMATES OF DOSES OF EXTERNAL EXPOSURE. / RADIATsIINI RYZYKY RAKU ShchYTOPODIBNOÏ ZALOZY V UChASNYKIV LIKVIDATsIÏ AVARIÏ NA ChAES Z URAKhUVANNIaM AL'TERNATYVNYKh OTsINOK DOZ ZOVNIShN'OGO OPROMINENNIa.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to estimate the thyroid cancer radiation risks - excess absolute risk(EAR), excess relative risk (ERR) and attributable fraction of risk (AR) in the cohort of 150,813 Ukrainian male clean-up workers during the 1986-2012 period (more than 25 years after the Chornobyl accident). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cohort under study of 150,813 Ukrainian men who participated emergency and clean-up work in 1986-1990 was formed based on the data of the Ukrainian State Register of persons affected due toChornobyl accident (SRU). The identification of thyroid cancer cases (216) was carried out by linking the SRU data-base with the National Cancer Registry of Ukraine (NCRU) data. Standardised incidence ratios (SIR) were estimatedcomparing thyroid cancer incidence in the cohort with the corresponding national indices. Excess absolute risk(EAR), excess relative risk (ERR) and attributable fraction of risk (AR) were calculated accounting for the alterna-tive dose estimates. The following sources of the average dose values for Ukrainian liquidators were used: officialtotal external dose records according to UNSCEAR 2008 report and results of external red bone marrow dose recon-struction by the RADRUE method for the cohort sample. For the radiation risk evaluation, these estimates were con-versed to the average external thyroid dose. RESULTS: Results of the long term study (1986-2012) of thyroid cancer risks in a cohort of 150813 Chornobyl clean-up workers («liquidators¼) from Ukraine are presented. Two options for the average thyroid dose estimates were usedfor radiation risks evaluation. According to the SRU and NCRU 216 incident thyroid cancers were diagnosed in 1986-2012 within the studied cohort with an overall SIR of 3.35 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 2.51-3.80). The SIR esti-mates were elevated throughout the entire follow-up period. Investigation of a contribution of the external expo-sure (according to the alternative values) showed the elevated dose associated thyroid cancer rates in the studiedcohort. Alternatively estimated EAR/104 PY Gy were of 1.86 (95 % CI 0.47-3.24) and 2.07 (95 % CI 0.53-3.62);ERR/Gy - 2.38 (95 % CI 0.60-4.15) and 2.66 (95 % CI 0.68-4.64) and AR % (Gy) 70.4 % and 72.7 % Gy. CONCLUSIONS: Obtained results prove the dose dependent increase of thyroid cancer incidence among UkrainianChornobyl clean-up workers. These conclusions are consistent with those received for combined cohort of Belarus,Russia and Baltic States liquidators.

[Informative value of the specialized registers in research of leukemia in Chernobyl accident liquidators in Ukraine].

The article considers the possibility of the use of current infrastructure of specialized population registers of Ukraine to study leukemia and other systemic blood diseases revealed in Chernobyl accident liquidators. Advantage and limitation of such registers in the use are discussed in the article. Ukrainian state register of people who suffered from Chernobyl accident and Ukrainian national cancer registers are the largest population registers in the country, which cover all the territory of Ukraine and contain information on each individual and may serve as source base for epidemiological studies. To solve issues on leukemia and other oncological diseases is recommended to use in complex data of specialized registers of Ukraine. It should be also taken into account necessity of using late registered cases and verifying registered diagnoses.