Overall mortality and cancer mortality around French nuclear sites

To learn more about the possible effects of radiation exposure on cancer rates, people living near six nuclear reprocessing plants in France were studied. Results from other studies showed a higher than expected mortality among people younger than 25 years from leukemia in some regions in Britain. In the French study, four geographical zones of increasing distance from the facility were defined; communes (administrative and electoral areas) were selected within zones as the unit of analysis. A 'control' commune of similar population was selected for each 'exposed' commune. Using death records (which included cause of death) from 1968 to 1987 for people younger than 25, two comparisons were made: between the observed mortality and the mortality expected from national rates; and between the areas near nuclear sites and control regions. Results showed that there were 58 leukemia deaths during the time studied in exposed areas, which was less than the 66.9 deaths expected from calculations of national mortality statistics. Leukemia deaths were not associated with proximity to a nuclear installation, in contrast to the British studies. Explanations for the difference in results are briefly evaluated. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)