Reconstructing Hanford worker external doses from photons for epidemiology
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The accurate reconstruction of external photon doses is essential for credible radiation epidemiology. This article presents the methodology used to derive dose estimates for 37 012 Hanford Site workers included in the Million Person Study. The approach employs historical dose records from the Hanford Radiation Exposure database and a previous epidemiology study. Bias correction factors specific to dosimeter type and period of use were applied and missing annual doses were estimated using a hierarchical nearby method to estimate deep dose equivalent for each worker. For early years with limited detection sensitivity, missed doses were quantified based on expected time-period-specific, low-dose statistical distributions. The revised dose estimates resulted in lower median and mean career doses than unadjusted data, while increasing the number of person-years with nonzero dose. Sensitivity analyses assessed the influence of bias in dosimetry measurements, missed doses and gap years on dose estimates. Differences in cumulative dose estimates between unadjusted and revised annual estimates are most prominent in the early operational years due to the highest bias during that time period.
Language: English
Topic: Radiation Dose and Imaging
Subfield: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,325
Awards: G2034656188, G4263527441, RADIATION PROTECTION GUIDANCE FROM NCRP, MILLION WORKER STUDY, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES A LARGE-SCALE EPIDEMIOLOGIC INVESTIGATION OF ONE MILLION U.S. RADIATION WORKERS AND ATOMIC VETERANS. THE FOCUS OF THE RESEARCH, PURPOSE: TO DETERMINE WHETHER A SEX DIFFERENCE EXISTS FOR RADIATIONINDUCED LUNG CANCERS ACROSS ALL AVAILABLE EXPOSED POPULATIONS. TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES OF TRANSFERRING RISKS FROM ONE EXPOSED POPULATION (E.G. THE JAPANESE ATOMIC BOMB SURVIVORS) TO ANOTHER (I.E. THE ASTRONAUT POPULATION). TO EVALUATE THE OPTIMUM WAYS FOR INCORPORATING THE SEXSPECIFIC LUNG CANCER RISKS INTO THE NASA LIFETIME RISK PROJECTION MODEL. TO PUBLISH AN NCRP COMMENTARY WITH RECOMMENDATION ON THE SEX-SPECIFIC LUNG CANCER RISK COEFFICIENTS TRANSFER MODELS AND LIFETIME CANCER RISK PROJECTIONS., MILLION WORKER STUDY, Cancer Center Support Grant
OpenAlex ID: W4414452209