[ RadSafe ] Dose to Mae Keane -Way to narrow down exposure-Addendum
Bolling, Jason E
bollingje at Ports.USEC.com
Wed Jul 12 09:35:21 CDT 2006
After reviewing the 98 page table from the reference, there is only one
case that exactly matches the parameters described below. This is case
05-374 on Page 178 of the study. Zero dose was listed for this case.
There are seven other cases that agree with the year of birth and the
year of first exposure but have exposure durations ranging from 3 weeks
to 17 weeks with doses from 0 to 1458 cGy. They are:
Case Total Dose from Ra-226 and Ra-228 (cGy)
01-101 0
01-351 0
03-564 20
03-722 29
05-049 45
05-103 15
11-016 1458
While going through the table I initially included about 50 cases as
being "close" to the three parameters. A notable case from this subset
is case 03-499 which had a birth date of 1905, an initial exposure date
of 1924, but at 56 weeks of exposure, I felt was too far outside the
"couple of months" to be the Mae Keane case. This case was the highest
exposed of this small group of 50 at 2660 cGy.
This would have been much easier and less prone to my error if the data
had been available in some kind of text format rather than a scanned
PDF. Others are welcome to take a look at the data for themselves to
see if I missed anything.
Cheers,
Jason Bolling
-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf Of Stewart Farber
Sent: Friday, June 16, 2006 12:49 PM
To: radsafe at radlab.nl
Cc: Stewart Farber
Subject: Fw: [ RadSafe ] Dose to Mae Keane -Way to narrow down
exposure-Addendum
Hello again,
BTW, regarding sleuthing to determine Mae Keane's dose, the news article
mentioned she only worked at the dial painting plant for a "couple of
months".
The Table A.1 from Rowland's book Radium in Humans mentioned with the
1,575 dial painter cases includes a column of data on Exposure Duration
[weeks], in addition to year of birth, sex, and year first exposed as I
mentioned previously. These 4 factors really narrow down what cases [by
anonymous Case Number] match Mae Keane's circumstances to only a handful
of cases if one is willing to scan the 98 page Table A.1. It's not as
daunting as it sounds since only a small fraction were still alive in
1990 that were born in 1905- 1906. Then scan to see if the case was
first exposed in 1923- 1924.
The see if the Exposure Duration is around 8 weeks or so.
The above cut factors should narrow down the possible cases to a handful
of possibilities. It would be interesting to get some ideal of her total
dose.
Good luck & let us know what you find,
Stewart Farber, MSPH
radproject at aol.com
=====================
----- Original Message -----
From: "Stewart Farber" <farbersa at optonline.net>
To: "Muckerheide, Jim (CDA)" <Jim.Muckerheide at state.ma.us>;
"parthasarathy k s" <ksparth at yahoo.co.uk>; "John Jacobus"
<crispy_bird at yahoo.com>; "Susan Gawarecki" <loc at icx.net>; "RADSAFE"
<radsafe at radlab.nl>
Cc: "Stewart Farber" <radproject at optonline.net>
Sent: Friday, June 16, 2006 12:15 PM
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Dose to Mae Keane -Way to narrow down exposure
> Hi all,
>
> The initial article in this thread appears to be in error. Also it may
> be possible to determine what the dose to this person is from radium
intake.
>
> First, it seems highly unlikely that Mae Keane is the last surviving
> "Radium Girl". She may be the oldest at this moment, but many of the
> 2,403 individuals listed in the Appendix to Radium in Humans: A Review
> of US Stuties by Rowland [ANL/ER-3, published Sept. 1994] were born in
> the 1930s and 1940s. So while Mae Keane may be the oldest [and God
> bless her for good genes and a good attitude contributing to her
> longevity], she is not likely the last dial painter alive.
>
> There are 1,575 dial painters in the Argonne Table A-1 list. For
> example Case 12-646 was born in 1946, was alive in 1987, was first
> exposed in 1965, and exposed as a Dial Painter for 260 weeks. Is she
> still alive? No way to tell from the Tables but very like based on
> her age. Another dial painter listed [Case 12-669] was born in 1957,
> and first exposed in 1974 for 22 weeks! Where this was done, I have
no idea. Go figure.
>
> For those on the list who want to be amateur radiation
> dose/epidemiological sleuths, it is possible to scan Table A.1 of the
> referenced Appendix. From the sex of the individual, date of birth,
> whether they were alive in 1990 [the date the book was published],
> their year of first exposure it should be possible to find or at least
> narrow down the exposure data for Mae Keane.
>
> She was born in 1905 or 1906 [since she is 100 now] and from what she
> said went to work painting dials at age 18 [in 1923 or 1924]. Since
> she was alive in 1990, only a few cases in the list of exposed women
> will match her age, and date of first exposure. From this review, it
> should be possible to bracket her radium intake, Ra-226/Rad-228 ratio,
> and tabulated dose from Ra-226 and 228.
>
> A project for a motivated Radsafer! Good luck and let us know what you
> find!
>
> Stewart Farber, MS Public Health
> 203 367-0791
> radproject at aol.com
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Muckerheide, Jim (CDA)" <Jim.Muckerheide at state.ma.us>
> To: "parthasarathy k s" <ksparth at yahoo.co.uk>; "John Jacobus"
> <crispy_bird at yahoo.com>; "Susan Gawarecki" <loc at icx.net>; "RADSAFE"
> <radsafe at radlab.nl>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2006 1:59 PM
> Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Dose to Mae Keane may be kilorads!
>
>
>> Evans' paper responded to misrepresentations of effects in BEIR 1972
>> in the 1974 HPJ. See e.g., the first item at:
>> http://www.radscihealth.org/RSH/Data_Docs/1-2/4/1/1241list.html
>>
>> Note that Evans' paper only includes the MIT epidemiologically
>> significant data (about 300 cases?)
>>
>> I meant to mention also that Rowland's book is available as a PDF as
>> ref'd in Rowland's summary.
>>
>> Regards, Jim Muckerheide
>>
>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl
>>> [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf Of parthasarathy k s
>>> Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2006 12:07 PM
>>> To: John Jacobus; Susan Gawarecki; RADSAFE
>>> Subject: [ RadSafe ] Dose to Mae Keane may be kilorads!
>>>
>>>
>>> Prof R D Evans published a review of the doses to those who had
>>> significant intakes of radium as dial painters (I can locate the
>>> paper; it was in the Health Physics journal). The doses were of the
>>> order of hundreds of rads that too contributed by alpha particles
>>> from the decay products of radium;a few must have received kilorads!
>>> The poineering work done in USA by two groups in Argonne and
>>> Massachusettes laid the foundation stone for internal dosimetry of
>>> bone seeking radionuclides such as Strontium-90, plutonium-239 etc.
>>>
>>> The work is often projected to indicate evidence against LNT
concept.
>>>
>>> Can any one in the list provide more about the human side of the
>>> tragic experience of those who suffered radium poisoning.
>>> It appears that the first victim sued the employer, got
>>> compensation; most of it went to the lawyers.(It was probably the
>>> first case of this kind).
>>>
>>> I am keen to get details about how many victims were part of the
>>> internal contamination study which went on for decades.
>>> Can any one provide appropriate references?
>>>
>>> Regards
>>> K.S.Parthasarathy Ph.D
>>> Raja Ramanna Fellow
>>> Strategic Planning Group
>>> Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences Department of Atomic Energy GN
>>> 18, Vikram Sarabhai Bhavan Mumbai 400094, INDIA
>>>
>>> 91+22 25555327 (O)
>>> 91+22 2 5486081(O)
>>> 91+22 2 7706048(R)
>>> 9869016206 ( Mobile)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----
>>> From: John Jacobus <crispy_bird at yahoo.com>
>>> To: Susan Gawarecki <loc at icx.net>; RADSAFE <radsafe at radlab.nl>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, 14 June, 2006 6:30:06 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Last surviving Radium Girl celebrates 100th
>>> birthday
>>>
>>>
>>> Interesting. I see no information on dosage, which makes this just
>>> an interesting story.
>>>
>>> --- Susan Gawarecki <loc at icx.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> > Last surviving Radium Girl celebrates 100th birthday
>>> >
>>> http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2006/06/
>>> 01/last_surviving_radium_girl_celebrates_100th_birthday/
>>> > By Robyn Adams, Republican-American | June 1, 2006
>>> >
>>> > WATERBURY, Conn. --Mae Keane, the last surviving Radium Girl, was
>>> > all aglow as she celebrated her 100th birthday recently.
>>> >
>>> > At age 18, fresh out of Wilby High School, she went to work at the
>>> > old Waterbury Clock Co. factory off Cherry Street. She was among
>>> > the women dubbed the Radium Girls after the greenish radium paint
>>> > used to make the watch dials glow in the dark. It later caused
>>> > significant health problems for many. They were encouraged to
>>> > apply the paint by moistening the bristles on their lips before
>>> > dipping the brush into the paint.
>>> >
>>> > Though Keane worked at the clock factory just a couple of months,
>>> > she lost her teeth and suffered skin and eye problems.
>>> > Doctors could never
>>> > pinpoint the exact cause of her ailments. "I don't think the
>>> > bosses even knew it was poison," she said. "The foreman would tell
>>> > us it was very expensive, and to be careful. We had no idea. But
>>> > when they did find out, they hid it."
>>> >
>>> > Radium is a naturally occurring radioactive material used from the
>>> > 1900s to the 1940s to paint glow-in-the-dark dials on clocks,
>>> > watches and aircraft navigation equipment. Significant exposure
>>> > can cause leukemia and anemia and has been linked to cancer of the
>>> > bones, mouth and sinus cavities.
>>> >
>>> > About 20 Waterbury Clock factory workers, mostly women hired
>>> > because of their smaller fingers, died from exposure to radium in
>>> > 1927.
>>> >
>>> > "The girls (sneaked) the radium to paint their toe nails to make
>>> > them glow," Keane said.
>>> >
>>> > Perhaps it is her sense of humor that has helped her live a long
>>> > life.
>>> > The only prescription medication she takes is to control her blood
>>> > pressure, though she was diagnosed with colon cancer at one point.
>>> > "The doctor wanted to give me chemotherapy," Keane said.
>>> > "I told him 'no.' I
>>> > wanted radium." After five weeks of radiation, she was on the
>>> > mend.
>>> >
>>> > Keane isn't quite sure what led her to work at the clock factory.
>>> > The pay was $18 a week for a 40-hour work week, and the women
>>> > earned an average of six cents for each dial painted.
>>> >
>>> > In 2004, Keane and the late Josephine Lamb, another Radium Girl,
>>> > were featured in a dance and video production that explored the
>>> > work done by young women in clock factories. Josephine Lamb was
>>> > bedridden for 50 years from the radium poisoning. She died in 1974
>>> > at the age of 79.
>>> >
>>> > Keane, a Red Sox fan, laughs when asked about her secret to
>>> > longevity.
>>> > "I'm lazy," Keane said, adding she never smoked, loved to walk and
>>> > dance, and enjoys caramel candy, chocolate and an occasional
>>> > apricot sour or Bailey's Irish Cream. "I didn't get old until I
>>> > was 98," she said.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > _______________________________________________
>>> > You are currently subscribed to the RadSafe mailing list
>>> >
>>> > Before posting a message to RadSafe be sure to have read and
>>> > understood the RadSafe rules. These can be found at:
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>>> >
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>>> > settings visit: http://radlab.nl/radsafe/
>>> >
>>>
>>>
>>> +++++++++++++++++++
>>> "You get a lot more authority when the workforce doesn't think it's
>>> amateur hour on the top floor."
>>> GEN. MICHAEL V. HAYDEN, President Bush's nominee for C.I.A.
director.
>>>
>>> -- John
>>> John Jacobus, MS
>>> Certified Health Physicist
>>> e-mail: crispy_bird at yahoo.com
>>>
>>> __________________________________________________
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