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Cited by 26Effects of Radiation ExposureRadiation Dose and ImagingRadioactivity and Radon Measurements

Radiation exposure and the risk of mortality from noncancer respiratory diseases in the life span study, 1950–2005

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Pham, Truong-Minh, Sakata, Ritsu, Grant, Eric J., Shimizu, Yukiko, Furukawa, Kyoji, Takahashi, Ikuno, Sugiyama, Hiromi, Kasagi, Fumiyoshi +4 more·2013·Radiation Research
DOI 10.1667/rr13421.1
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Abstract

An apparent association between radiation exposure and noncancer respiratory diseases (NCRD) in the Life Span Study (LSS) of atomic bomb survivors has been reported, but the biological validity of that observation is uncertain. This study investigated the possibility of radiation causation of noncancer respiratory diseases in detail by examining subtypes of noncancer respiratory diseases, temporal associations, and the potential for misdiagnosis and other confounding factors. A total of 5,515 NCRD diagnoses listed as the underlying cause of death on the death certificate were observed among the 86,611 LSS subjects with estimated weighted absorbed lung doses. Radiation dose-response analyses were conducted using Cox proportional hazard regression for pneumonia/influenza, other acute respiratory infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. The linear excess relative risks (ERR) per gray (Gy) were 0.17 (95% CI 0.08, 0.27) for all NCRD and 0.20 (CI 0.09, 0.34) for pneumonia/influenza, which accounted for 63% of noncancer respiratory disease deaths. Adjustments for lifestyle and sociodemographic variations had almost no impact on the risk estimates. However, adjustments for indications of cancer and/or cardiovascular disease decreased the risk estimates, with ERR for total noncancer respiratory diseases declined by 35% from 0.17 to 0.11. Although it was impossible to fully adjust for the misdiagnosis of other diseases as noncancer respiratory diseases deaths in this study because of limitations of available data, nevertheless, the associations were reduced or eliminated by the adjustment that could be made. This helps demonstrates that the association between noncancer respiratory diseases and radiation exposure in previous reports could be in part be attributed to coincident cancer and/or cardiovascular diseases.

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  • Increased risks of death from non-cancer respiratory diseases found in the LSS for doses of 1000 mSv and higher could be approached if the RBE from GCR for this endpoint was high.

    “Other lifetime risks to be considered are the increased risks of death from non-cancer respiratory diseases found in the LSS study (Pham et al., 2013) for doses of 1000 mSv and higher, which could be approached if the RBE from GCR for this endpoint was high.”

    From A proposed change to astronaut exposures limits is a giant leap backwards for radiation protection (2021) · cites this paper as Pham et al., 2013

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Research works printed but not linked: 23

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Authors
Pham, T.-M., Sakata, R., Grant, E. J., Shimizu, Y., Furukawa, K., Takahashi, I., Sugiyama, H., Kasagi, F., Soda, M., Suyama, A., Shore, R. E., & Ozasa, K.
Affiliations
  • Radiation Effects Association (JP)
  • Radiation Effects Research Foundation (JP)
Corresponding author
Ozasa, Kotaro
ORCID
Venue
Radiation Research
Publisher
Radiation Research Society
Published
2013-11
Volume
180
Issue
5
Pages
539-545
ISSN
  • 0033-7587 (ISSN-L)
  • 1938-5404
DOI
10.1667/rr13421.1
OpenAlex
W2140746170
Cited by
26
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1
FWCI
1.81
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Radiation Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • BioOne Complete (BioOne) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • U.S. Department of Energy (DEHS0000031)
  • Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (DE-HS0000031)
  • Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (23590839)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Effects of Radiation Exposure
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Radiation Dose and Imaging
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Radiological and Ultrasound Technology › Radioactivity and Radon Measurements
Keywords
radiation exposure, atomic bomb survivors, Life Span Study, pneumonia and influenza, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, acute respiratory infections, excess relative risk, misdiagnosis, cardiovascular disease, mortality
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Child, Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Japan, Male, Middle Aged, Respiratory Tract Diseases, Survivors, Radioactive Hazard Release, Nuclear Weapons

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