Third Epidemiological Study of UK Nuclear Test Veteran

[modsafety@GTNET.GOV.UK]

NRPB have issued a press release as follows:-



"A study1 published today in "Occupational and Environmental

Medicine" concludes that overall rates of death and cancer incidence

continue to be very similar in participants in UK nuclear weapons

tests and in a matched control group. This is one of the largest

studies of its kind. It found that reports of a raised risk of

multiple myeloma amongst test veterans were not substantiated.

However, the possibility that test participation caused a small

absolute risk of leukaemia other than chronic lymphatic leukaemia

cannot be ruled out.



The analysis1 was carried out by researchers at the National

Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) and was guided by an independent

Advisory Group. It is the third epidemiological study of about 20,000

service personnel and civilians who took part in the atmospheric

testing of UK nuclear weapons in the 1950/60s. These test veterans

have been compared with a carefully matched control group of

personnel who served in the tropics or sub tropical areas at the same

time, but not at the nuclear test locations. Further details of the

study have been published today by NRPB2 (report).



This analysis had been prompted by claims of elevated levels of

multiple myeloma in test veterans. Therefore, special checks were

carried out with the University of Dundee and with the Leukaemia

Research Fund. The checks confirmed that the data achieved a high

level of completeness.



The study concludes that overall rates of death and cancer incidence

up to 1998 continue to be very similar in test participants and in

the matched control group. Death rates in both test participants and

controls were lower than those in men of the same ages in England and

Wales for the broad categories of all causes of death combined, for

all cancers and for all other diseases taken together. In contrast,

death rates for accidents and violence were above the national

average in both test participants and controls.



Rates of multiple myeloma in test participants in recent years were

similar both to rates in the controls and to national rates. Reports

of a raised risk of myeloma were therefore not substantiated.



This third study found that, up to the end of 1998, rates of

leukaemia other than chronic lymphatic leukaemia were higher in test

participants than in controls. As in the second analysis, published

eight years ago, this might be a chance finding that reflects low

rates among the controls compared to national mortality rates.

However, the possibility that participation in the nuclear tests

caused the increase cannot be ruled out.



There were no striking findings for personnel who might have been at

higher risk because of the nature of their jobs or for whom exposure

to radiation was recorded. However, some of these groups were small

and it was not always possible to reach definite conclusions."



http://www.nrpb.org/press/press_releases/2003/press_release_03_03.htm



Press enquiries:



E-mail: pressoffice@nrpb.org



for those interested in reading the paper :-



"Follow up of mortality and incidence of cancer 1952–98 in men from

the UK who participated in the UK's atmospheric nuclear weapon tests

and experimental programmes

C R Muirhead, D Bingham, R G E Haylock, J A O'Hagan, A A Goodill, G L

C Berridge, M A English, N Hunter and G M Kendall

National Radiological Protection Board, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon OX11

0RQ, UK "



The paper can be found at



http://oem.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/60/3/165





======================================================================



Mr FWP Dawson Head Health Physics

Directorate of Defence Safety Environment and Fire Policy (D SEF Pol)

Ministry of Defence

Room 213 St Giles Court

1-13 St Giles High Street

London. WC2H 8LD



Dsef pol web site: http://www.mod.uk/dsef





Phone +44(0)20 780 70215

Fax   +44(0)20 721 83943



Mobile +44(0)79 7316 9338

Email GTNET: fred.dawson.modsafety@gtnet.gov.uk

At my desk: dsefpol-hdhp@defence.mod.uk

Home: fred.dawson@dial.pipex.com



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