Background radiation and childhood leukemia: A nationwide register-based case-control study.

High doses of ionizing radiation are an established cause of childhood leukemia. However, substantial uncertainty remains about the effect of low doses of radiation, including background radiation and potential differences between genetic subgroups of leukemia have rarely been explored. We investigated the effect of the background gamma radiation on childhood leukemia using a nationwide register-based case-control study. For each of the 1,093 cases, three age- and gender matched controls were selected (N = 3,279). Conditional logistic regression analyses were adjusted for confounding by Down syndrome, birth weight (large for gestational age), and maternal smoking. Complete residential histories and previously collected survey data of the background gamma radiation in Finland were used to assess the exposure of the study subjects to indoor and outdoor gamma radiation. Overall, background gamma radiation showed a non-significant association with the OR of childhood leukemia (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.97, 1.05 for 10 nSv/h increase in average equivalent dose rate to red bone marrow). In subgroup analyses, age group 2-<7 years displayed a larger effect (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.01, 1.60 for 1 mSv increase in equivalent cumulative dose to red bone marrow). Suggestive difference in OR by genetic subtype was found. Our results provide further support to the notion that low doses of ionizing radiation increase the risk for childhood leukemia, particularly at age 2-<7 years. Our findings suggest a larger effect of radiation on leukemia with high hyperpdiploidy than other subgroups, but this result requires further confirmation.

Chernobyl fallout and cancer incidence in Finland.

Twenty-five years have passed since the Chernobyl accident, but its health consequences remain to be well established. Finland was one of the most heavily affected countries by the radioactive fallout outside the former Soviet Union. We analyzed the relation of the estimated external radiation exposure from the fallout to cancer incidence in Finland in 1988-2007. The study cohort comprised all ∼ 3.8 million Finns who had lived in the same dwelling for 12 months following the accident (May 1986-April 1987). Radiation exposure was estimated using data from an extensive mobile dose rate survey. Cancer incidence data were obtained for the cohort divided into four exposure categories (the lowest with the first-year committed dose <0.1 mSv and the highest ≥ 0.5 mSv) allowing for a latency of 5 years for leukemia and thyroid cancer, and 10 years for other cancers. Of the eight predefined cancer sites regarded as radiation-related from earlier studies, only colon cancer among women showed an association with exposure from fallout [excess rate ratio per increment in exposure category 0.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.02-0.11]. No such effect was observed for men, or other cancer sites. Our analysis of a large cohort over two decades did not reveal an increase in cancer incidence following the Chernobyl accident, with the possible exception of colon cancer among women. The largely null findings are consistent with extrapolation from previous studies suggesting that the effect is likely to remain too small to be empirically detectable and of little public health impact.

Predicting residential radon concentrations in Finland: Model development, validation, and application to childhood leukemia.

Objectives Inhaled radon gas is a known alpha-emitting carcinogen linked especially to lung cancer. Studies on higher concentrations of indoor radon and childhood leukemia have conflicting but largely negative results. In this study, we aimed to create a sophisticated statistical model to predict indoor radon concentrations and apply it to a Finnish childhood leukemia case-control dataset. Methods Prediction was based on ~80 000 indoor radon measurements, which were linked to national registries for potential indoor radon predictors based on the literature. In modelling, we used classical methods, random forests and deep neural networks. We had 1093 cases and 3279 controls from a nationwide case-control study. We estimated odds ratio (OR) for childhood leukemia using conditional logistic regression adjusted for potential confounders. Results The r 2of the final log-linear model was 0.21 for houses and 0.20 for apartments. Using random forest method, we were able to obtain slightly better fit for both houses (r 2= 0.28) and apartments (r 2= 0.23). In a risk analysis based on the case-control data with log-linear model, we observed a non-significant (P=0.54) increase with predicted radon concentrations [OR for the 2 ndquartile 1.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.77-1.50, OR 1.10 with 95% CI 0.79-1.53 for the 3 rd, and 1.29 with 95% CI 0.93-1.77 for the highest quartile]. Conclusions Our modelling and the previously published models performed similarly but involves major uncertainties, and the results should be interpreted with caution. We observed a slight non-significant increase in risk of childhood leukemia related to higher average indoor radon concentrations.

Multidisciplinary analysis of Finnish esker sediment in radon source identification.

In order to define the naturally-occurring radioactive materials that are the source of radon in natural environments, a comprehensive analytical (geochemical, physical and chemical) methodology was employed to study sand samples from the Hollola esker in the city of Hollola (Lahti area, Finland). Techniques such as gamma-spectrometry, emanation measurements, sequential chemical extraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron probe microanalyses (EPMA) and inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were used to determine the potential source of radon. Monazite and xenotime, uranium- and thorium-bearing minerals and potential radon sources, occurred in significant amounts in the samples and were also the main reason for the distribution of uranium and thereby radium in separate grain-size fractions. Following deposition, the esker sand has been exposed to no significant weathering, and radium has not therefore been much separated from uranium. However, considering its non-compatibility with crystal lattices, it was recognized rather in easily leachable species (44% of the total (226)Ra) than uranium (21% of the total (238)U) in our analyses. The smallest grain-size fraction of the esker sand had a higher emanation power (0.24) than the other fractions (around 0.17). Due to the small relative proportion of this fraction, however, it contributed only slightly to the total emanation (4%). The emanation power of the leachable species was about three times higher (ca. 0.20) than that of the species tightly bound to the crystal lattice (ca. 0.07).

Radon emanation from fresh, altered and disturbed granitic rock characterized by 14C-PMMA impregnation and autoradiography.

Radon emanation from intact samples of fresh ("BG"), altered ("Fract") and disturbed ("EDZ") Finnish granitic rock from Kuru (Finland) and its dependence on humidity and rock structural factors was studied. The pore network of the rock was characterized by microscopy and impregnation with 14C-PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) resin and autoradiography. The radon emanation factor was increasing linearly with the relative humidity. 14C-PMMA autoradiography of the altered zones and the EDZ indicated significant, mineral-specific increase of porosity and porosity gradients towards the fracture surfaces (Fract) and microcracks within the EDZ. For small samples in the cm-scale emanation was not diffusion, but source term controlled.

Fallout from the Chernobyl accident and overall cancer incidence in Finland.

AIM: We studied whether incidence of all cancer sites combined was associated with the radiation exposure due to fallout from the Chernobyl accident in Finland. An emphasis was on the first decade after the accident to assess the suggested "promotion effect". METHODS: The segment of Finnish population with a stable residence in the first post-Chernobyl year (2 million people) was studied. The analyses were based on a 250m × 250m grid squares covering all of Finland and all cancer cases except cancers of the breast, prostate and lung. Cancer incidence in four exposure areas (based on first-year dose due to external exposure <0.1 mSv, 0.1-1.3, 0.3-0.5, or ≥ 0.5 mSv) was compared before the Chernobyl accident (1981-1985) and after it (1988-2007) taking into account cancer incidence trends for a longer period prior to the accident (since 1966). RESULTS: There were no systematic differences in the cancer incidence in relation to radiation exposure in any calendar period, or any subgroup by sex or age at accident. CONCLUSION: The current large and comprehensive cohort analysis of the relatively low levels of the Chernobyl fallout in Finland did not observe a cancer promotion effect.