[ RadSafe ] BBC Reports "Nuclear workers' cancer risk rise

[A Karam]

I took a quick look at this paper.  The biggest concern I have with it is that the authors do not show the number of cancer deaths for each dose category, only total cancers.  The authors give total cancers, total deaths, collective cumulative dose, and average individual dose, but nothing from which a dose/response relationship can be established.  
 
There is no way to tell, for example, if the lower-dose groups had more, fewer, or no difference in cancers versus what would be expected.  As the data are reported, there is no way to establish any sort of dose/risk relationship.  Because of this, I'm afraid I didn't learn much from this paper except that the authors were very diligent in collecting data.
 
Andy
 
P. Andrew Karam, Ph.D., CHP
Research Assistant Professor
Rochester Institute of Technology