In plain language
In about 310,000 nuclear workers in France, the UK and the US, higher cumulative low-dose radiation was associated with higher solid cancer mortality. The risk per unit dose appeared larger at low cumulative doses. Fluoroscopy staff were not studied directly.
At a glance
- Type of study
- Original research, Retrospective cohort study
- Size
- n = 309,932 workers
- Where
- France, United Kingdom, United States
- Summary based on
- the full text
What it found
Solid cancer mortality increased with cumulative radiation dose, lagged 10 years, and the relationship was reasonably described by a linear model.
Key figures: Excess relative risk (ERR) 0.52 (90% confidence interval (CI) 0.27 to 0.77) per Gy
Restricting the analysis to low cumulative doses gave larger per-Gy estimates, suggesting a steeper slope at low doses, with wider confidence intervals.
Key figures: 0-100 mGy: ERR 1.12 (0.45 to 1.80) per Gy; 0-50 mGy: 1.38 (0.20 to 2.60) per Gy
Among workers hired more recently, when dosimetry was more accurate, the estimate was larger.
Key figures: Hired 1958 or later: ERR 1.22 (0.74 to 1.72) per Gy; hired 1965 or later: 1.44 (0.65 to 2.32) per Gy
Excluding lung cancer changed the estimate little, and COPD showed minimal association with dose, which the authors take as indirect evidence against substantial confounding by smoking.
Key figures: Solid cancer other than lung ERR 0.46 (0.18 to 0.76) per Gy; COPD ERR 0.12 (-0.43 to 0.68) per Gy
The summary risk estimate per Gy is larger than the estimates currently used to inform radiation protection.
Limits to keep in mind
This is an observational records-based mortality study of nuclear industry workers, not medical staff, with no individual smoking data, reliance on death certificates, and less accurate historical dosimetry in early years. Healthy worker survivor bias may distort the dose-response at high cumulative doses.
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How this summary was made
ORSIF prepared this summary with AI assistance from the full text of the paper. A program then checked that the passage supporting each finding appears word for word in that source. A person has not yet reviewed each summary, so read the original before relying on a number. ORSIF summarizes research and does not endorse any product or company. Report a problem with this summary.
Prepared November 3, 2026.