Probability Estimates for the Unique Childhood Leukemia Cluster in Fallon, Nevada, and Risks Near Other U.S. Military Aviation Facilities

Overview

Journal Environ Health Perspect

Date 2004 May 4

PMID 15121523

Citations 21

Authors

Craig Steinmaus

Meng Lu

Randall L Todd

Allan H Smith

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

A unique cluster of childhood leukemia has recently occurred around the city of Fallon in Churchill County, Nevada. From 1999 to 2001, 11 cases were diagnosed in this county of 23,982 people. Exposures related to a nearby naval air station such as jet fuel or an infectious agent carried by naval aviators have been hypothesized as potential causes. The possibility that the cluster could be attributed to chance was also considered. We used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) to examine the likelihood that chance could explain this cluster. We also used SEER and California Cancer Registry data to evaluate rates of childhood leukemia in other U.S. counties with military aviation facilities. The age-standardized rate ratio (RR) in Churchill County was 12.0 [95% confidence interval (CI), 6.0-21.4; p = 4.3 times symbol 10(-9)]. A cluster of this magnitude would be expected to occur in the United States by chance about once every 22,000 years. The age-standardized RR for the five cases diagnosed after the cluster was first reported was 11.2 (95% CI, 3.6-26.3). In contrast, the incidence rate was not increased in all other U.S. counties with military aviation bases (RR = 1.04; 95% CI, 0.97-1.12) or in the subset of rural counties with military aviation bases (RR = 0.72; 95% CI, 0.48-1.08). These findings suggest that the Churchill County cluster was unlikely due to chance, but no general increase in childhood leukemia was found in other U.S. counties with military aviation bases.

Citing Articles

A Historical Survey of Key Epidemiological Studies of Ionizing Radiation Exposure.

Little M, Bazyka D, Berrington de Gonzalez A, Brenner A, Chumak V, Cullings H Radiat Res. 2024; 202(2):432-487.

PMID: 39021204 PMC: 11316622. DOI: 10.1667/RADE-24-00021.1.

Review of the risk of cancer following low and moderate doses of sparsely ionising radiation received in early life in groups with individually estimated doses.

Little M, Wakeford R, Bouffler S, Abalo K, Hauptmann M, Hamada N Environ Int. 2021; 159:106983.

PMID: 34959181 PMC: 9118883. DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106983.

Structural Evidence of Programmed Cell Death Induction by Tungsten in Root Tip Cells of .

Adamakis I, Eleftheriou E Plants (Basel). 2019; 8(3).

PMID: 30862127 PMC: 6473820. DOI: 10.3390/plants8030062.

Tungsten Toxicity in Plants.

Adamakis I, Panteris E, Eleftheriou E Plants (Basel). 2016; 1(2):82-99.

PMID: 27137642 PMC: 4844263. DOI: 10.3390/plants1020082.

Geographic Variation in Cancer Incidence among Children and Adolescents in Taiwan (1995-2009).

Hung G, Horng J, Yen H, Lee C, Lee Y PLoS One. 2015; 10(7):e0133051.

PMID: 26192415 PMC: 4507945. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133051.

References

Harris D, Sakiestewa D, Robledo R, Witten M . Immunotoxicological effects of JP-8 jet fuel exposure. Toxicol Ind Health. 1997; 13(1):43-55. DOI: 10.1177/074823379701300104. View

Savitz D, Andrews K . Review of epidemiologic evidence on benzene and lymphatic and hematopoietic cancers. Am J Ind Med. 1997; 31(3):287-95. DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0274(199703)31:3<287::aid-ajim4>3.0.co;2-v. View

Li C, Lin R, Lin C . Urbanization and childhood leukaemia in Taiwan. Int J Epidemiol. 1998; 27(4):587-91. DOI: 10.1093/ije/27.4.587. View

DOLL R . The Seascale cluster: a probable explanation. Br J Cancer. 1999; 81(1):3-5. PMC: 2374279. DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6690642. View

Dickinson H, Parker L . Quantifying the effect of population mixing on childhood leukaemia risk: the Seascale cluster. Br J Cancer. 1999; 81(1):144-51. PMC: 2374359. DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6690664. View

Harris D, Sakiestewa D, Robledo R, Witten M . Short-term exposure to JP-8 jet fuel results in long-term immunotoxicity. Toxicol Ind Health. 1997; 13(5):559-70. DOI: 10.1177/074823379701300501. View

Alexander F, Chan L, Lam T, YUEN P, Leung N, Ha S . Clustering of childhood leukaemia in Hong Kong: association with the childhood peak and common acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and with population mixing. Br J Cancer. 1997; 75(3):457-63. PMC: 2063384. DOI: 10.1038/bjc.1997.77. View

Ullrich S . Dermal application of JP-8 jet fuel induces immune suppression. Toxicol Sci. 1999; 52(1):61-7. DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/52.1.61. View

Greaves M . Molecular genetics, natural history and the demise of childhood leukaemia. Eur J Cancer. 2000; 35(14):1941-53. DOI: 10.1016/s0959-8049(99)00296-8. View

10.

Harris D, Sakiestewa D, Robledo R, Young R, Witten M . Effects of short-term JP-8 jet fuel exposure on cell-mediated immunity. Toxicol Ind Health. 2000; 16(2):78-84. DOI: 10.1177/074823370001600204. View

11.

Carlton G, Smith L . Exposures to jet fuel and benzene during aircraft fuel tank repair in the U.S. Air Force. Appl Occup Environ Hyg. 2000; 15(6):485-91. DOI: 10.1080/104732200301278. View

12.

Waller L . A civil action and statistical assessments of the spatial pattern of disease: do we have a cluster?. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2000; 32(2):174-83. DOI: 10.1006/rtph.2000.1428. View

13.

Duarte-Davidson R, Courage C, Rushton L, Levy L . Benzene in the environment: an assessment of the potential risks to the health of the population. Occup Environ Med. 2000; 58(1):2-13. PMC: 1740026. DOI: 10.1136/oem.58.1.2. View

14.

Grant G, Jackman S, Kolanko C, Stenger D . JP-8 jet fuel-induced DNA damage in H4IIE rat hepatoma cells. Mutat Res. 2001; 490(1):67-75. DOI: 10.1016/s1383-5718(00)00151-0. View

15.

Hayes R, Songnian Y, Dosemeci M, Linet M . Benzene and lymphohematopoietic malignancies in humans. Am J Ind Med. 2001; 40(2):117-26. DOI: 10.1002/ajim.1078. View

16.

Harris D, Sakiestewa D, Titone D, Robledo R, Young R, Witten M . Jet fuel-induced immunotoxicity. Toxicol Ind Health. 2001; 16(7-8):261-5. DOI: 10.1177/074823370001600702. View

17.

Jackman S, Grant G, Kolanko C, Stenger D, Nath J . DNA damage assessment by comet assay of human lymphocytes exposed to jet propulsion fuels. Environ Mol Mutagen. 2002; 40(1):18-23. DOI: 10.1002/em.10082. View

18.

Moore L, Lu M, Smith A . Childhood cancer incidence and arsenic exposure in drinking water in Nevada. Arch Environ Health. 2003; 57(3):201-6. DOI: 10.1080/00039890209602937. View

19.

Rhodes A, LeMasters G, Lockey J, Smith J, Yiin J, Egeghy P . The effects of jet fuel on immune cells of fuel system maintenance workers. J Occup Environ Med. 2003; 45(1):79-86. DOI: 10.1097/00043764-200301000-00016. View

20.

HEASMAN M, Kemp I, Urquhart J, Black R . Childhood leukaemia in northern Scotland. Lancet. 1986; 1(8475):266. DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(86)90794-4. View