Uranium Miner Health Risk Calculator - HELP
(last updated 4 Mar 2002)
Contents:
This calculator determines the excess risk of contracting several kinds of
cancer for a uranium miner with a known radiation exposure history, and, in
case cancer has developed, the probability of causation.
The probability of causation is the probability that a contracted cancer is
caused from the radiation exposure. Typically, causation is assumed (and
compensation is granted) for a probability higher than 50%.
The calculator performs the calculations using the following models: Jacobi's
TSE (time since exposure) model for lung cancer [Jacobi1992], oral
cavity/throat cancer and leukemia [Jacobi1995], and bone cancer and liver
cancer [Jacobi1997]. The Jacobi models contain several assumptions which are
typical for the first ten years in the German Wismut mines (for details, see
references). For lung cancer, the results of the BEIR IV model [BEIR1988] are
provided for comparison.
The parameters used for the calculation can be set in the Exposure Data and
Personal Exposure History tables.
See special instructions for offline use
of this calculator.
The table contains the annual radiation exposure data for each of the calendar
years listed. The exposure data comprises the following parameters:
- Radon Exposure [MBqh/m3]
-
Rn-222
- Radon Progeny Exposure [WLM]
-
short lived radon progeny (Po-218, Pb-214, Bi-214, Po-214)
- Inhaled U-238
Activity [kBq]
-
natural isotope composition of uranium and presence of all decay products in
secular equilibrium assumed
- External Gamma exposure (in air) [mSv]
-
- Inhaled Pb-210 Activity [kBq]
-
Lead-210 is a long-lived decay product of Radon-222
The table can be initialized with typical data for various miner cohorts by
selecting from the pick list, or the user can enter his own data.
Only the German Wismut data set for the years 1946 - 1955
contains full data for all parameters - this is required for the calculation of
cancers other than lung cancer. The other data is mostly limited to Radon
Progeny Exposure and therefore allows for calculation of lung cancer only - the
results for other cancer types are meaningless in this case.
The data for the German Wismut mines is from [Jacobi1995], the data for the
Czech S-cohort from [Sevc1993], the data for the French cohort from
[Tirmarche1993], and the data for the New Mexico cohort from [Samet1991]. Data
for the early years up to the mid-1950's often are estimates only. All figures
are mean values; individual doses may have been many times higher. All but the
Wismut data sets were taken from graphs and are not very accurate, therefore.
The Lung cancer lifetime risk factor is used to calculate the lifetime risk of
contracting lung cancer from the cumulative radon progeny exposure. ICRP 65
uses a value of 0.000283 per WLM.
Note: all entries are calendar years (4 digits)
- Year of birth
-
- Year of first exposure
-
- Year of last exposure
-
- Year at risk / Year of cancer developed
-
Year, for which the risk is to be calculated, or, the year, in which cancer has
developed.
> See also: Health Hazards for Uranium Mine and Mill Workers
- Science Issues
[BEIR1988] Health Risks of Radon and other internally deposited
alpha-emitters - BEIR IV, Committee on the Biological Effects of Ionizing
Radiations, Board on Radiation Effects Research, Commission on Life Sciences,
National Research Council. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. 1988, 601
p.
> View online 
[Jacobi1992] W.Jacobi, K.Henrichs, D.Barclay: Verursachungs- Wahrscheinlichkeit
von Lungenkrebs durch die berufliche Strahlenexposition von Uran-Bergarbeitern
der WISMUT AG, [Probability of causation for lung cancer due to the
occupational radiation exposure of uranium miners of WISMUT AG], 67 pages in
German, GSF-Bericht S-14/92, Neuherberg 1992.
> View summary
[Jacobi1995] W.Jacobi, P.Roth: Risiko und Verursachungs- Wahrscheinlichkeit von
extrapulmonaren Krebserkrankungen durch die berufliche Strahlenexposition von
Besch?ftigten der ehemaligen WISMUT AG, [Risk and Probability of Causation of
Extrapulmonary Cancers due to the Occupational Radiation Exposure of Workers at
the previous WISMUT Uranium Mining Company], 86 pages in German, GSF-Bericht
4/95, GSF-Forschungszentrum f¨¹r Umwelt und Gesundheit ,
Oberschlei?heim 1995.
> View summary
[Jacobi1997] W.Jacobi, P.Roth, D.No?ke: M?gliches Risiko und
Verursachungs-Wahrscheinlichkeit von Knochen- und Leberkrebs durch die
berufliche Alphastrahlen-Exposition von Besch?ftigten der ehemaligen WISMUT AG
[Possible Risk and Probability of Causation of Bone and Liver Cancer due to the
Occupational Alpha Ray Exposure of Workers at the previous WISMUT Uranium
Mining Company], 57 pages in German, Forschungsbericht,
GSF- Forschungszentrum f¨¹r Umwelt und Gesundheit ,
Oberschlei?heim, July 1997
> View summary
[Samet1991] J.M.Samet, D.R.Pathak, M.V.Morgan, et al.: Lung cancer mortality
and exposure to radon progeny in a cohort of New Mexico underground uranium
miners. in: Health Physics Vol. 61, No. 6, pp. 745-752, 1991
[Sevc1993] J.Sevc, L.Tomasek, E.Kunz, et al.: A survey of the Czechoslovak
follow-up of lung cancer mortality in uranium miners. in: Health Physics Vol.
64, No. 4, p.355-369, 1993
[Tirmarche1993] M.Tirmarche, A.Raphalen, F.Allin, et al.: Mortality of a cohort
of French uranium miners exposed to relatively low radon concentrations. in:
Br.J.Cancer Vol. 67, p.1090-1097, 1993