Revision 1
March 19, 1998
by Radiation, Science, and Health, Inc.,
Edited by J. Muckerheide

1.2.5
Weapons and Facility Releases

1.2.5.2
Public

"Archer (1987) compared time trends in global fallout across the United States with trends in leukemia rates. Fallout activity was estimated from measurements of beta emissions, airborne particulates, precipitation, and 131-I in milk. Fallout appeared to peak in 1957 and 1962. Death rates for acute and myeloid leukemia in children aged 5-9 years rose to an initial peak in 1962 and a secondary peak in 1968; no such pattern was observed for other types of leukemia. Leukemia death rates (for all ages and all cell types) peaked in the decade 1960-1969 and were consistently highest in states with high 90Sr levels in the diet, milk and bones (based on surveys by the Public Health Services from 1957 to 1970) and lowest in states with low 90Sr levels. The excess of myeloid and acute leukemia deaths was estimated to be about 6.5 per 104 PYGy (based on an estimated average cumulative dose of 4 mGy).

"Darby and Doll (1987) reviewed data on childhood leukemia incidence rates and fallout exposures in England and Wales, Norway, and Denmark. Fallout exposures rose rapidly between 1962 and 1965 and declined slowly thereafter. In England and Wales there was about a 10% increase in incidence rates up to 1979, possibly attributable to improvements in diagnosis, whereas incidence rates in Norway and Denmark declined slightly after 1960 during the period of highest population exposure from fallout. The data were thus interpreted to provide no convincing evidence of an increase in incidence that could be attributed to fallout"