RE: Cancer Study Continues

[John Russell <jrussell@beta.tricity.wsu.edu>]

You are absolutely right Harry, I also looked at the brain cancer rates in
the five collar counties surrounding Rocky Flats in the decades before the
facility was built and found the rates were very similar.


Harry Reynolds wrote:
>The Rocky Flats study was followed up by studies of the entire Denver metro
>area and later all of Colorado.  The results showed that the metro area had
>roughly the same rate as Rocky Flats and that the high country in the
>mountains had even higher rates which essentially took Rocky Flats "off the
>hook."  I believe the follow up studies were done by the same people who did
>the original Rocky Flats study. Somewhere in a lost box or file I may be
>able to locate this info if any one is interested.
>
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From:	Ron L. Kathren [SMTP:rkathren@tricity.wsu.edu]
>> Sent:	Tuesday, August 10, 1999 10:18 AM
>> To:	Multiple recipients of list
>> Subject:	Re: Cancer Study Continues
>> 
>> Indeed, six cases may be more than sufficient to provide statistical
>> validity.  One would, of course, need to know the type(s) of brain tumors,
>> years at risk, age of the cohort etc.  However, what may be of interest is
>> that an excess of malignant brain tumor fatalities were identified at the
>> Rocky Flats site in a study by Gregg Wilkinson and coworkers, then at
>> LANL.
>> The cause was not identified although Pu was hinted.  A subsequent study
>> of
>> 260 USTUR registrants, all Pu workers, by Gold and Kathren at the USTUR,
>> published in Health Physics, showed an excess of malignant brain tumor
>> deaths (6 in cohort of 260).  All brain tumors were found in the subcohort
>> (98) from Rocky Flats.  It was simply not seen at other sites.
>> 
>> The conclusion was that something unique to the Rocky Flats site and not
>> radiation exposure caused the brain tumor excess.  My own guess is
>> solvents,
>> as excess brain tumors have been found in refinery workers who are exposed
>> to various solvents and products of gasoline manufacture.  Hence, although
>> the report is not complete as indicated above, it is certainly consistent
>> with other studies.
>> 
>> 
>> 
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