Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Nov 26;109(11):2880-5.
doi: 10.1038/bjc.2013.560. Epub 2013 Sep 12.

Leukaemia in young children in the vicinity of British nuclear power plants: a case-control study

J F Bithell  1 , M F G Murphy, C A Stiller, E Toumpakari, T Vincent, R Wakeford
Affiliations

Leukaemia in young children in the vicinity of British nuclear power plants: a case-control study

J F Bithell et al. Br J Cancer. .

Abstract

Background: Concern about the risk of leukaemia in children living near nuclear power plants (NPPs) persists. Previous British analyses have been area based and consequently thought to be less effective than case-control studies.

Methods: Cases of childhood leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (LNHL) born and diagnosed in Great Britain between 1962 and 2007, with matched cancer-free controls, were analysed by logistic regression to estimate the risk of residential proximity at birth and diagnosis to the nearest NPP, adjusting for relevant variables.

Results: For 9821 children with LNHL under the age of 5 years, the estimated extra risk associated with residential proximity to an NPP at birth was negative-interpolated Odds Ratio (OR) at 5 km was 0.86 (0.49-1.52). The comparison of 10 618 children with LNHL under five with 16 760 similarly aged children with other cancers also gave a negative estimate of the extra risk of residential proximity at diagnosis-interpolated OR at 5 km was 0.86 (0.62-1.18).

Conclusion: Our results show little evidence of an increase in risk of LNHL to children aged under 5 years from living in the vicinity of an NPP. Risk estimates are incompatible with comparable ones published in a recent German case-control study.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. Black D. Investigation of the Possible Increased Incidence of Cancer in West Cumbria. Report of the Independent Advisory Group. Chairman: Sir Douglas Black. HMSO: London; 1984.
    1. Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) 1988Second Report. Investigation of the Possible Increased Incidence of Leukaemia in Young People Near the Dounreay Nuclear Establishment, Caithness, Scotland HMSO: London; http://www.comare.org.uk/ .
    1. Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) 2005Tenth Report. The incidence of Childhood Cancer Around Nuclear Installations in Great Britain HMSO: London; ( http://www.comare.org.uk/ ). - PubMed
    1. Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) 2006Eleventh Report. The Distribution of Childhood Leukaemia and Other Childhood Cancer in Great Britain 1969-1993 HMSO: London; http://www.comare.org.uk/ .
    1. Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment) (COMARE) 2011Fourteenth Report. Further Consideration of the Incidence of Childhood Leukaemia Around Nuclear Power Plants in Great Britain HMSO: London; http://www.comare.org.uk/ .

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources