SOUTHERN URALS RADIATION RISK RESEARCH

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1 SOUTHERN URALS RADIATION RISK RESEARCH

2 General objectives of the project The main goal is to derive credible, quantitative estimates of the longterm risks of adverse health effects from protracted internal and external exposure of workers and of members of unselected general populations to ionizing radiation. Current estimates of radiation risk are based largely on populations exposed acutely or over a minutes or hours. Most people are exposed to radiation over periods of weeks, months or years. A central issue in radiation protection is whether radiation doses delivered at low dose rates are as effective as the same dose delivered at high dose rates.

3 - INTEGRATED PROJECT - EURATOM Specific Programme for Research and Training on Nuclear Energy, 6 th Framework Program - Contract: FI6R - Duration: 01 August July 09 - Coordinating organization: GSF-Forschungszentrum fur Umwelt und Gesundheit - Project coordinator: Dr. Peter Jacob - 12 partner organizations General description of the project - Requested EC contribution: 8 M - Web site: - Multi-disciplinary project - participation of dosimetrists, operational health physicists, statisticians and epidemiologists - Fully coordinated with research being carried out in Russian US collaboration

4 List of participants Participant name Short name Country GSF - Forschungszentrum fuer Umwelt und Gesundheit GSF Health Protection Agency HPA UK Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine URCRM RF Southern Urals Biophysics Institute SUBI RF Germany Karolinska Institutet KI Sweden Closed Corporation "Company GEOSPETSECOLOGIA" ZAO Istituto Superiore di Sanità ISS Italy Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz BFS Germany Technische Universität München TUM Germany Aristotle University of Thessaloniki AUTH Greece Leiden University Medical Center, Division 5 LUMC The Netherlands Westlakes Scientific Consulting WSC UK RF

5 Steps required for a risk-derivation study Follow-up Disease classification Personal Information Risk derivation Disease Dose Dosimetry system Dose calculation

weapon-grade plutonium production at Lake Kyzyl-Tash in Southern Urals.

6 Historical Background Uranium Project for production of Russian nuclear weapons. In 1945 it was decided to construct the first Russian industrial nuclear reactor for weapon-grade plutonium production at Lake Kyzyl-Tash in Southern Urals. YEKATERINBURG Mayak (light house) production association and the city of Ozyorsk (before 1990: Chelyabinsk-65)

7 The Mayak Worker Cohort (MWC) In 1948 Mayak PA started to operate as first industrial nuclear reactor and radio-chemical plant for plutonium separation. In the first years of operation the workers received doses of several Gray and suffered from chronic radiation diseases. Employees in reactor and chemical plant in 1949: 5000 Occupational radiation doses in 1949: Mean: 250 mgy 30%: ca mgy 0.5%: ca mgy Population of Ozyorsk in 1949: 20000

The Techa River Cohort (TRC) The Techa River is ca. 240 km long and flows from the Lake Kyzyl-Tash (location of Mayak PA). In the period 1949 1956 Mayak PA released ca. 2700 TBq (2.

8 The Techa River Cohort (TRC) The Techa River is ca. 240 km long and flows from the Lake Kyzyl-Tash (location of Mayak PA). In the period Mayak PA released ca TBq (2.7 MCi) of liquid waste to the Techa River; containing by ca. 30% the long living radio nuclides 90 Sr and 137 Cs. This resulted in chronic external and internal exposure of inhabitants in downstream settlements. An increase in leukemia and solid cancers with radiation dose has been noted and cases of chronic radiation syndrome were registered for this cohort.

9 The Southern Urals cohort as a source of information In 1992 for the first time Russian scientists reported a leukemia risk excess in the Urals. Since 1996 UE has been funding activities aimed at decreasing the exposure levels within the international standards and at extending knowledge about radiation effects. The Mayak worker cohort (20,000) and the Techa River cohorts (30,000) are internationally recognised as being emerging major sources of information on health risks due to chronic radiation exposure. The cohorts in Southern Urals offer the possibility to analyse effects of protracted exposures to plutonium, strontium and external radiation, which occurred primarily at low dose rates.

10 External dosimetry Internal dosimetry (Pu) Mayak workers MAYAK DOSES-200X Cancer Non cancer Health effects Techa River residents and offspring External dosimetry Internal dosimetry (Sr) TROC DOSES-200X Cancer Non cancer Exposure in utero and early childhood

Project structure: 4 research + 1 management subprojects SP1 External dosimetry Mayak WP 1.1-1.3 SP2 Intern.

11 Project structure: 4 research + 1 management subprojects SP1 External dosimetry Mayak WP SP2 Intern. Dosimetry & Health effects Mayak WP Methodology exchange/development SP3 Int. & ext. dosimetry Techa River cohort WP SP4 Health effects Techa river cohort WP

12 Dosimetry in the SOUL Project Mayak Worker Cohort Dosimetry System (Mayak Doses-200x) External Doses (SP1) Occupational film badge monitoring Internal Doses from Plutonium (SP2) Biokinetic models using data from urine measurements Techa River Dosimetry System (TRDS-200x) External Doses (SP3) Model calculations using data of persons life conditions and behaviour, and early gamma dose rate measurements Internal Doses from Caesium and Strontium (SP3) Biokinetic models using data of food consumption, whole body counter, tooth beta counting and Sr content in bone

13 Validation of the dosimetry systems The dose estimates determined by the dosimetry systems Mayak Doses-200x and TRDS-200x need validation. Validation / improvement of external doses is performed by: FISH of blood samples TL measurement in bricks of buildings EPR measurement of radio-induced radicals in tooth enamel. (ISS)

14 ISS objectives Objectives of tooth dosimetry for: Mayak Doses-200x. Assessment of external occupational dose with consideration of photon spectra and exposure geometry at work places, and background dose TRDS-200x. Assessment of external individual dose from anthropogenic sources with consideration of absorbed dose from 90 Sr in teeth and background dose

18 The structure of the SOUL project 4 research + 1 management subprojects Quantification of health risks due to low dose chronic exposures to plutonium, strontium and external radiation Mayak worker cohort Subproject 1: External dosimetry Dosimetry data Subproject 2: Internal dosimetry, dosimetry system, and health effects Methodology exchange/development Techa River cohorts Subproject 3: Internal and external dosimetry Dosimetry data Subproject 4: Health effects

SOLO: Radiation Risk Research in the Southern Urals

SOLO: Radiation Risk Research in the Southern Urals Presentation to at the DoReMi 2nd Periodic meeting 22 nd January 2012 Richard Haylock John Harrison SOLO Epidemiological Studies of Exposed Southern