Environmental Health Perspectives 105, Supplement 6, December 1997

[ Citation in PubMed ] [ Related Articles ]

A-Bomb Data: Detection of Bias in the Life Span Study Cohort

Alice Stewart

Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Birmingham Medical School, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Abstract
By drawing a distinction between A-bomb survivors with and without bomb-related injuries, it was possible to see that instead of the Life Span Study (LSS) cohort being a normal, homogenous population, there were significant differences between survivors with and without multiple injuries, and that these differences occurred largely among survivors who were under 10 or over 50 years of age when exposed. There also was a concentration of A-bomb-related injuries among survivors who eventually developed leukemia. So it is possible that deaths before 1950 had left the LSS cohort permanently biased in favor of persons who had high levels of resistance to all (early and late) effects of radiation. It is also possible that the high proportion of leukemia cases among the deaths of A-bomb survivors from 1950 to 1970 were because the radiation caused an initial leukocytosis followed by loss of immunologic competence. -- Environ Health Perspect 105(Suppl 6):1519-1521 (1997)

Key words: epidemiology, radiation cancer, A-bomb survivors

This paper is based on a presentation at the International Conference on Radiation and Health held 3-7 November 1996 in Beer Sheva, Israel. Abstracts of these papers were previously published in Public Health Reviews 24(3-4):205-431 (1996). Manuscript received at EHP 11 March 1997; accepted 21 May 1997.

Address correspondence to Dr. A. Stewart, Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Birmingham Medical School, Vincent Drive, Birmingham B152TT, United Kingdom. Telephone: 44 121 414 3368. Fax: 44 121 414 3630. E-mail: a.walker@bham.ac.uk

Abbreviations used: Gy, gray; LSS, Life Span Study; RERF, Radiation Effects Research Foundation.

[Table of Contents] [Full Article] [ Citation in PubMed ] [ Related Articles ]

Last Update: February 17, 1998