Abstract
Objective
To investigate all-cause and cancer mortality of biological research laboratories workers of the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM).
Methods
Two cohorts, bioCEA (N = 3,509) and bioINSERM (N = 4,966) were followed from 1968 to 1994 and 1980 to 1993, respectively. The mortality of each cohort was compared with that of the French population by computation of the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) with their 90% confidence interval (90% CI). Trend and heterogeneity tests were computed in order to study SMRs variation by job characteristics. In the bioCEA cohort individual dosimetry data being available, a trend test was also computed according to ionizing radiation cumulative dose.
Results
The SMRs were significantly below one in both cohorts for all-cause mortality (bioCEA: SMR = 0.52 [0.46–0.59], bioINSERM: SMR = 0.56 [0.46–0.67]) and for all-cancer mortality (bioCEA: SMR = 0.66 [0.54–0.80], bioINSERM: SMR = 0.55 [0.39–0.75]). There were some specific cancer sites for which the SMR was higher than 1, but not significantly. In the bioCEA cohort a positive trend was observed between ionizing radiation cumulative doses and all-cause as well as all-cancer SMRs.
Conclusion
This study on two French cohorts of biological research workers found a favorable mortality pattern. These findings are consistent with recent publications. The positive trend of cancer mortality according to ionizing radiation exposure among bioCEA cohort needs to be confirmed with more precise assessment of exposures and information on individual risk factors.
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Notes
Date when the Institute’s personel records were computerized.
The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) currently recommends limiting occupational doses to 100 mSv over any five-year period (not to exceed 50 mSv in any 1 year).
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Dr Annie Sasco and Bernard Rachet for the set up of the international protocol. They are also grateful to Madeleine Valenty, Catherine Luccioni, Michelle Morin and Jean-Claude Nenot for their advices and help with the CEA biological exposure reconstruction and to Martine Labbé, Antonella Pinna and Pascale Jan for their help with the INSERM database. This project was partially funded by the European Commission (contract number SOC 95 201861).
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Guseva Canu, I., Rogel, A., Samson, E. et al. Cancer mortality risk among biology research workers in France: first results of two retrospective cohorts studies. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 81, 777–785 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-007-0260-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-007-0260-6