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Childhood cancer incidence in relation to distance from the former nuclear testing site in semiplatnsk, kazakhstan
Author(s) -
Zardze Daid G.,
Li N.,
Men Tamara,
Duffy Spephen W.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910590407
Subject(s) - test site , residence , demography , relative risk , cancer , medicine , confounding , geography , confidence interval , pathology , geology , sociology , seismology
Rates of childhood cancer between 1981 and 1990 in the 4 administrative zones of Kazakhstan were studied to asess the relationship, if any, with distance from nuclear testing sites. Risk of various cancers among children aged 14 years or younger were estimated in relation to distance from (1) a site where testing in air was performed before 1963, (2) a site where underground testing took place thereafter, and (3) a reservoir, known as “Atom Lake,” created by 4 nuclear explosions in 1965. Risk of acute leukaemia rose significantly with increasing proximity of residence to the testing areas, although the absolute value of the risk gradient was relatively small. The relative risk for those living less than 200 km from the airtesting site was 1.76 compared with those living 400 km or more away from the site. Similar relative risks were observed for the underground site and “Atom Lake.” There was also some evidence of increased risk of brain tumours in association with proximity to the test sites. In 2 of the 4 zones studied, there was substantial regional variation in acute leukaemia rates which was not attributable to distance from the test site. The findings may be affected by potential confounders, notably urban/rural status and ethnic factors. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.