A Cohort Study of Korean Radiation Workers: Baseline Characteristics of Participants

Soojin Park, Songwon Seo, Dalnim Lee, Sunhoo Park and Young Woo Jin
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Soojin Park: Laboratory of Low Dose Risk Assessment, National Radiation Emergency Medical Center, Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, 75 Nowon-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul 01812, Korea
Songwon Seo: Laboratory of Low Dose Risk Assessment, National Radiation Emergency Medical Center, Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, 75 Nowon-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul 01812, Korea
Dalnim Lee: Laboratory of Low Dose Risk Assessment, National Radiation Emergency Medical Center, Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, 75 Nowon-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul 01812, Korea
Sunhoo Park: Laboratory of Low Dose Risk Assessment, National Radiation Emergency Medical Center, Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, 75 Nowon-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul 01812, Korea
Young Woo Jin: Laboratory of Low Dose Risk Assessment, National Radiation Emergency Medical Center, Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, 75 Nowon-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul 01812, Korea

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 7, 1-14

Abstract: The Korean Radiation Worker Study investigated the health effects of protracted low-dose radiation among nuclear-related occupations in the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission in Korea. From 2016–2017, 20,608 workers were enrolled (86.5% men and 30.7% nuclear power plant workers). The mean cumulative dose ± standard deviation between 1984 and 2017 (1st quarter) was 11.8 ± 28.8 (range 0–417) mSv. Doses below recording level (≤0.1 mSv) were reported in 7901 (38.3%) cases; 431 (2%) had cumulative doses ≥100 mSv. From 1999–2016, 212 cancers (189 men, 23 women) occurred; thyroid cancer predominated (39.2%, 72 men, 11 women). In men, the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) for all cancers was significantly decreased (SIR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.66–0.88); however, that for thyroid cancer was significantly increased (SIR = 1.94, 95% CI 1.54–2.44). Compared to the non-exposed group (≤0.1 mSv), the relative risk (RR) in the exposed group (>0.1 mSv) after adjusting for sex, attained age, smoking status, and duration of employment was 0.82 (95% CI 0.60–1.12) for all cancers and 0.83 (95% CI 0.49–1.83) for thyroid cancer. The preliminary findings from this baseline study with a shorter follow-up than the latency period for solid cancer cannot exclude possible associations between radiation doses and cancer risk.

Keywords: occupational exposure; neoplasm; radiation; epidemiology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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