[ RadSafe ] COMARE 14th Report: Further consideration of the incidence of childhood

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COMARE 14th Report: Further consideration of the incidence of childhood
leukaemia around nuclear power plants in Great Britain

http://www.comare.org.uk/press_releases/14thReportPressRelease.htm

Childhood leukaemia is a rare disease, affecting approximately 500 children
every year in the UK. Nevertheless there have been numerous studies and
reports
on the possible risks of childhood leukaemia in the vicinity of nuclear
power
plants and other nuclear installations. The aim of this report was to
undertake
a further review of the incidence of childhood leukaemia in the vicinity of
nuclear power plants (NPPs) specifically in Great Britain, with particular
reference to recent publications and studies from other countries and taking
into account the conclusions in the tenth and eleventh COMARE reports (which
consider the period 1969-1993).

COMARE presents a new geographical data analysis on the incidence of
leukaemia
in children under 5 years of age, living in the vicinity of 13 NPPs. It uses
cancer registration data for Great Britain for the extended period 1969 to
2004.

The report also considers additional factors not addressed in previous
COMARE
reports, which may account for differences in leukaemia risks in studies
from
other countries. The report investigates the pathology of childhood
leukaemia
and non-Hodgkins lymphoma cases in the vicinity of British NPPs. It also
describes the cancer registries of several European countries, the types of
reactors used in those countries, the radioactive discharges associated with
the
reactor types and the consequent assessed radiation doses to the general
population.

In particular, COMARE considered the results of the German Kinderkrebs in
der
Umgebung von Kernkraftwerken (KiKK) study and concludes they are heavily
influenced by cases in the earliest period (1980-1990), compared with the
later
periods (1991-1995 and 1996-2003) when the risks are lower. In the later
periods, the results are influenced heavily by the known cluster around the
Krummel plant. The study was not able to take potential confounders, such as
socio-economic status, into account. There is disparity in the risk for
childhood leukaemia for 1980-1990 between additional German geographical
studies
and the case-control KiKK study. Possibilities for this difference include
the
distance measurement methodology and the control selection for the KiKK
study.

Finally COMARE is of the view that there is no current evidence to support
the
hypothesis that in utero exposures from tritium and carbon-14 radioactive
discharges have been underestimated or that such discharges are associated
with
increased risk of childhood cancers.

COMARE recommends that the Government keeps a watching brief on the risk of
childhood cancers in the vicinity of NPPs. The committee also recommends
that
there is no reduction in maintenance of effective surveillance regarding the
environment and public health. COMARE recommends the continuation of a
programme
of environmental measurements of radioactivity, including the continued
monitoring of carbon-14 discharges (both gaseous and liquid) for existing
nuclear installations and similar programmes for all new NPPS in the UK. The
committee would like to see the monitoring of liquid carbon-14 discharges
from
NPPs, as undertaken in the UK, extended to the rest of the EU. COMARE
recommends
that research is continued into all possible causative mechanisms of
leukaemia
(both radiation and non-radiation-related).
In conclusion, COMARE's primary analysis of the latest British data has
revealed no significant evidence of an association between risk of childhood
leukaemia (in under 5 year olds) and living in proximity to an NPP.


Press enquiries to COMARE Secretariat: Tel No: 01235-832447

COMARE 14th Report "Further consideration of the incidence of childhood
leukaemia around nuclear power plants in Great Britain". Chairman: Professor
A
Elliott.

SUMMARY OF THE 14th COMARE REPORT

In this, the 14th COMARE report, the incidence of childhood leukaemia in the
vicinity of nuclear power plants (NPPs) in Great Britain has been reviewed
and
it has been concluded that the risk estimate for childhood leukaemia
associated
with proximity to an NPP is extremely small, if not zero. This extends the
previous analysis presented in COMARE's 10th report for 1969-1993 to the
period
1969-2004. The report has considered the pathology of leukaemia and NHL
cases
and determined that the cases living within 10 km of an NPP do not appear to
differ from a larger group of control patients. Evidence has been reviewed
from
a variety of studies from other countries regarding the incidence of
childhood
leukaemia in the vicinity of NPPs, together with data on several cancer
registration systems, the types of reactors found in other countries and the
associated radioactive discharges and estimated effective radiation doses.
The
differences in NPP design, location and practices, together with differences
in
methodology for epidemiological studies means that it is not possible to
draw
direct comparisons for various countries. Based on the evidence presented in
the
report, COMARE sees no reason to change its previous advice to Government
(as
given in the 10th report) that for Great Britain there is no evidence to
support
the view of an increased risk of childhood leukaemia in the vicinity of
NPPS.
COMARE recommends that the Government keeps a watching brief in this area
and
that there is no reduction in maintenance of effective surveillance
regarding
the environment and public health. COMARE recommends the continuation of a
programme of environmental measurements of radioactivity, including the
continued monitoring of carbon-14 discharges (both gaseous and liquid) for
existing nuclear installations and similar programmes for all new NPPS in
the
UK. The committee would like to see the monitoring of liquid carbon-14
discharges from NPPs, as undertaken in the UK, extended to the rest of the
EU.
COMARE recommends that research is continued into all possible causative
mechanisms of leukaemia (both radiation and non-radiation-related) and that
UK-wide resources used for such studies as presented in this report continue
to
be supported.

COMARE

The Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE)
was
established in November 1985 in response to the final recommendation of the
report of the Independent Advisory Group chaired by Sir Douglas Black
(Black,
1984). Its terms of reference are to "assess and advise Government and the
Devolved Authorities on the health effects of natural and man-made radiation
and
to assess the adequacy of the available data and the need for further
research".
Over the last 25 years COMARE has published many reports and statements
relating
to radiation health risk, many of which are available on its web site.