Cancer mortality rates higher for those exposed to radiation at a younger age
Mar. 5, 2012
by Yumi Kanazaki, Staff Writer
On March 1, the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF), located in Minami Ward, Hiroshima, released the findings of a research study in which the organization describes the mortality rates for the A-bomb survivors it has been following. RERF indicated that the rate of mortality, due to cancer, for people at the age of 70 who were directly exposed to radiation of one sievert when they were 30 years old is 42 percent higher than for those who were not exposed to radiation. The results appeared in a U.S. journal dated March 1.
Since the 1950s, RERF has been engaged in a epidemiologic research project, known as “longevity research,” involving a total of 120,000 people, both A-bomb survivors and other subjects who have not been exposed to radiation. The organization has announced the findings of its research on a regular basis, offering comparisons of cancer mortality rates and other data between those who have been exposed to radiation and those who have not.
For the focus of its research, RERF selected about 87,000 people based on estimates of their individual levels of radiation exposure. The number of A-bomb survivors who died between 1950 and 2003 was 50,620. Among them, 10,929 people died of solid cancers such as stomach cancer and liver cancer.
The latest findings compare the mortality rate at 70 years of age for people who were exposed to radiation at the age of 30 and those who experienced no such exposure. For every 10,000 people, 26 more A-bomb survivors died of solid cancer than the control group who were not exposed to radiation. If survivors were exposed to the bomb’s radiation at the age of 20, their risk of contracting a fatal form of cancer increased by 54 percent. In terms of bodily organs, the research found a particular increase of risk in such organs as the stomach, liver, lungs, and ovaries. At the same time, no difference in risk was determined when other organs were considered, including the rectum, uterus, prostate gland, and kidneys.
In addition to cancer, the research found higher rates of mortality involving disease to the circulatory organs, respiratory organs, and digestive organs. But, said RERF, “This area requires further research.”
Kotaro Ozasa, chief of the Epidemiology Department at RERF, stated: “From here it will be important to observe A-bomb survivors on a long-term basis, as those exposed to radiation at a younger age are growing older.”
(Originally published on March 2, 2012)
On March 1, the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF), located in Minami Ward, Hiroshima, released the findings of a research study in which the organization describes the mortality rates for the A-bomb survivors it has been following. RERF indicated that the rate of mortality, due to cancer, for people at the age of 70 who were directly exposed to radiation of one sievert when they were 30 years old is 42 percent higher than for those who were not exposed to radiation. The results appeared in a U.S. journal dated March 1.
Since the 1950s, RERF has been engaged in a epidemiologic research project, known as “longevity research,” involving a total of 120,000 people, both A-bomb survivors and other subjects who have not been exposed to radiation. The organization has announced the findings of its research on a regular basis, offering comparisons of cancer mortality rates and other data between those who have been exposed to radiation and those who have not.
For the focus of its research, RERF selected about 87,000 people based on estimates of their individual levels of radiation exposure. The number of A-bomb survivors who died between 1950 and 2003 was 50,620. Among them, 10,929 people died of solid cancers such as stomach cancer and liver cancer.
The latest findings compare the mortality rate at 70 years of age for people who were exposed to radiation at the age of 30 and those who experienced no such exposure. For every 10,000 people, 26 more A-bomb survivors died of solid cancer than the control group who were not exposed to radiation. If survivors were exposed to the bomb’s radiation at the age of 20, their risk of contracting a fatal form of cancer increased by 54 percent. In terms of bodily organs, the research found a particular increase of risk in such organs as the stomach, liver, lungs, and ovaries. At the same time, no difference in risk was determined when other organs were considered, including the rectum, uterus, prostate gland, and kidneys.
In addition to cancer, the research found higher rates of mortality involving disease to the circulatory organs, respiratory organs, and digestive organs. But, said RERF, “This area requires further research.”
Kotaro Ozasa, chief of the Epidemiology Department at RERF, stated: “From here it will be important to observe A-bomb survivors on a long-term basis, as those exposed to radiation at a younger age are growing older.”
(Originally published on March 2, 2012)
