Updated Standardized Mortality Ratio Evaluation of Disease Risks of Shipyard Workers Exposed to Low Dose Ionizing Radiation

Objective: To examine the risk of diseases among industrial workers with low and fractionated radiation exposures. Method: The 372,047 US male shipyard radiation and non-radiation workers were followed for 54 years and compared with US men using standardized mortality ratio (SMR) method. Results: SMRs for both radiation and non-radiation workers had lower risks of death from all causes (0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.74 to 0.75 and 0.77; 95% Cl 0.77 to 0.78, respectively) and from all cancers (0.92; 95% CI 0.91 to 0.93 and 0.90; 95% CI 0.89 to 0.91, respectively) compared with US men. Asbestos-related diseases including pleural cancers, mesothelioma, and asbestosis, but not lung cancers, were statistically higher in both radiation and non-radiation workers compared with the US men. Conclusion: US shipyard male radiation and non-radiation workers did not show any elevated mortality risks that might be associated with radiation exposure.

Automated summary

This study examined the risk of diseases among industrial workers with low and fractionated radiation exposures. The results showed that both radiation and non-radiation workers had lower risks of death from all causes and all cancers compared with US men, but higher risks of asbestos-related diseases.