Uranium and other natural radionuclides in drinking water and risk of leukemia: a case-cohort study in Finland.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

We assessed the effect of natural uranium and other radionuclides in drinking water on risk of leukemia.

METHODS:

The subjects (n = 144,627) in the base cohort had lived outside the municipal tapwater system during 1967-1980. A subcohort was formed as a stratified random sample of the base cohort and subjects using drinking water from drilled wells prior to 1981 were identified. A case-cohort design was used comparing exposure among cases with leukemia (n = 35) with a stratified random sample (n = 274) from the subcohort. Activity concentrations of uranium, radium-226, and radon in the drinking water were analyzed using radiochemical and alpha-spectrometric methods.

RESULTS:

The median activity concentration of uranium in well water was 0.08 Bq/L for the leukemia cases and 0.06 Bq/L for the reference group, radon concentrations 80 and 130 Bq/L, respectively, and radium-226 concentrations 0.01 Bq/L for both groups. The hazard ratio of leukemia for uranium was 0.91 (95% confidence interval 0.73-1.13) per Bq/L. for radon 0.79 per Bq/L (95% CI 0.27-2.29), and for radium-226 0.80 (95% CI 0.46-1.39) per Bq/L.

CONCLUSIONS:

Our results do not indicate an increased risk of leukemia from ingestion of natural uranium or other radionuclides through drinking water at these exposure levels.

• Authors: Anssi Auvinen, Päivi Kurttio, Juha Pekkanen, Eero Pukkala, Taina Ilus, Laina Salonen
• Journal: Cancer causes & control : CCC (Cancer Causes Control) Vol. 13 Issue 9 Pg. 825-9 (Nov 2002) ISSN: 0957-5243 [Print] Netherlands
• PMID: 12462547 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Water Pollutants, Radioactive
• Uranium
• Radon
• Radium

Topics

• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Cohort Studies
• Confidence Intervals
• Environmental Exposure (analysis)
• Female
• Finland (epidemiology)
• Humans
• Leukemia (epidemiology)
• Male
• Proportional Hazards Models
• Radium (analysis)
• Radon (analysis)
• Reference Values
• Risk Factors
• Uranium (analysis)
• Water Pollutants, Radioactive (analysis)
• Water Supply (analysis)