Study examines nuclear workers' health

摘要

Nuclear workers exposed to relatively high levels of radiation over long periods of service before the 1980s may be at increased risk of circulatory disease, according to a new study. The research, commissioned and funded by British Nuclear Fuels plc (BNFL), with extra funding from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), focused onrn65,000 workers employed at sites operated by BNFL and its predecessors between 1946 and 2002.rnResearchers analysed the relationship between non-cancer death rates and cumulative radiation exposure (as measured by personal dosimeter badges worn by the workers at the Chapel-cross, Sellafield, Springfields and Capenhurst nuclear sites whorntook part in the study).rnWorkers with the highest levels of occupational exposure - which occurred before the 1980s - had an increased risk of dying from circulatory disease compared to those with the lowest levels of exposure. Circulatory disease is a major cause of death in the general population, accounting for one third to half of all deaths.