Leukemia among participants in military maneuvers at a nuclear bomb test. A preliminary report

Abstract

Preliminary studies indicate that nine cases of leukemia have occurred among 3,224 men who participated in military maneuvers during the 1957 nuclear test explosion "Smoky." This represents a significant increase over the expected incidence of 3.5 cases. They included four cases of acute myelocytic leukemia, three of chronic myelocytic leukemia, and one each of hairy cell and acute lymphocytic leukemia. At time of diagnosis, patient ages ranged from 21 to 60 years (mean, 41.8 years) and the interval from time of nuclear test to diagnosis from two to 19 years (mean, 14.2 years). Film-badge records, which are available for eight of the nine men, indicated gamma radiation exposure levels ranging from 0 to 2,977 mrem (mean, 1,033 mrem). Mean film-badge gamma dose for the entire Smoky cohort was 466.2 mrem.