Numbers and Proportions of Leukemias in Young People and Adults Induced by Radiation of Natural Origin

Overview

Journal Leuk Res

Date 2011 Feb 22

PMID 21334745

Citations 7

Authors

Gerald Kendall

Mark P Little

Richard Wakeford

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Natural sources contribute a large fraction of the radiation exposure of the general public. Under the linear no-threshold hypothesis risk decreases in proportion to decreasing dose without a threshold. We use recent estimates of doses to the red bone marrow to calculate the number and proportion of cases of leukemia in England induced by natural radiation. We calculate that about 5% of cases of leukemia, excluding chronic lymphocytic leukemia, up to the age of 80 years are induced by this background radiation. In young people up to the age of 25 years the attributable fraction is about 15%, substantially lower than a previous estimate.

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