Climate impacts on tree-ring stable isotopes across the Northern Hemispheric boreal zone.

Boreal regions are changing rapidly with anthropogenic global warming. In order to assess risks and impacts of this process, it is crucial to put these observed changes into a long-term perspective. Summer air temperature variability can be well reconstructed from conifer tree rings.

Radiation effects on mortality from solid cancers other than lung, liver, and bone cancer in the Mayak worker cohort: 1948-2008.

Radiation effects on mortality from solid cancers other than lung, liver, and bone cancer in the Mayak worker cohort: 1948-2008. The cohort of Mayak Production Association (PA) workers in Russia offers a unique opportunity to study the effects of prolonged low dose rate external gamma exposures and exposure to plutonium in a working age population. We examined radiation effects on the risk of mortality from solid cancers excluding sites of primary plutonium deposition (lung, liver, and bone surface) among 25,757 workers who were first employed in 1948-1982.

Radiation risk of malignant neoplasms in organs of main deposition for plutonium in the cohort of Mayak workers with regard to histological types.

This paper presents the results of analyses of the incidence of malignant neoplasms in lung, liver, and bone and associated connective tissues among Mayak nuclear workers exposed to both internally incorporated plutonium and to external gamma radiation. The study cohort included 22,373 individuals employed at the reactors and radiochemical and plutonium production facilities of the Mayak nuclear complex during 1948-1982 and followed up to the end of 2004. All analyses were carried out by Poisson regression, and the doses used were derived using a recently available update of organ doses, Mayak doses-2008.

Lung cancer risks from plutonium: an updated analysis of data from the Mayak worker cohort.

Workers at the Mayak nuclear facility in the Russian Federation offer a unique opportunity to evaluate health risks from exposure to inhaled plutonium. Risks of mortality from lung cancer, the most serious carcinogenic effect of plutonium, were evaluated in 14,621 Mayak workers who were hired in the period from 1948-1982, followed for at least 5 years, and either monitored for plutonium or never worked with plutonium. Over the follow-up period from 1953-2008, there were 486 deaths from lung cancer, 446 of them in men.

Cancer mortality following in utero exposure among offspring of female Mayak Worker Cohort members.

Little is known about long-term cancer risks following in utero radiation exposure. We evaluated the association between in utero radiation exposure and risk of solid cancer and leukemia mortality among 8,000 offspring, born from 1948-1988, of female workers at the Mayak Nuclear Facility in Ozyorsk, Russia. Mother's cumulative gamma radiation uterine dose during pregnancy served as a surrogate for fetal dose.

Thyroid cancer incidence due to technogenic exposure in childhood.

Thyroid cancer incidence was studied in the cohort of residents of Ozyorsk and Kyshtym, the nearest upwind cities to the Mayak Production Association (Mayak PA), Russia's first plutonium production facility, which has been in operation since 1948. Radioactive contamination of areas around the Mayak PA were from unmonitored releases of inert gases produced by industrial reactors and also from the release of uranium fission products from a radiochemical plant stack where irradiated uranium blocks were refined. Iodine-131 (131I) was the main contributor to the technogenic dose from atmospheric releases.

Lung, liver and bone cancer mortality in Mayak workers.

Workers at the Mayak nuclear facility in the Russian Federation offer the only adequate human data for evaluating cancer risks from exposure to plutonium. Risks of mortality from cancers of the lung, liver and bone, the organs receiving the largest doses from plutonium, were evaluated in a cohort of 17,740 workers initially hired 1948-1972 using, for the first time, recently improved individual organ dose estimates. Excess relative risk (ERR) models were used to evaluate risks as functions of internal (plutonium) dose, external (primarily gamma) dose, gender, attained age and smoking.

[Early leukemia effect during chronic exposure to radiation with high doses].

The preliminary results of the analysis of leukemia morbidity in the sub-cohort of workers from PA "Mayak" exposed with high (more than 4Gy) doses during relatively short time range (few years) have been obtained in terms of materials from the medical-dosimetry register (SUrIBPh). The earlier dynamics of the leukemia morbidity implementation (2-5 years after the beginning of exposure) was established for this sub-cohort, in contrast to that predicted on the base of examination of the cohort of atomic bombardment victims from Japan cities (LSS). The "'early" leukemia effect is connected with intensive cell death and has a threshold nature.

[Annual production of moss layer in dark coniferous forests of Ket-Chulym Forest District (by the example of Moss Hylocomium splendens)].

The biological production of the moss layer was analyzed in dark coniferous stands in progressive succession in the southern taiga in West Siberia. The rate of organic matter production by mosses changed from 15-22.2 g/(m2 y) in 50-90-year-old fir forests to 51.

Lung cancer in Mayak workers.

The cohort of nuclear workers at the Mayak Production Association, located in the Russian Federation, is a unique resource for providing information on the health effects of exposure to plutonium as well as the effects of protracted external dose. Lung cancer mortality risks were evaluated in 21,790 Mayak workers, a much larger group than included in previous evaluations of lung cancer risks in this cohort. These analyses, which included 655 lung cancer deaths occurring in the period 1955-2000, were the first to evaluate both excess relative risk (ERR) and excess absolute risk (EAR) models and to give detailed attention to the modifying effects of gender, attained age and age at hire.

Lung cancer mortality among nuclear workers of the Mayak facilities in the former Soviet Union. An updated analysis considering smoking as the main confounding factor.

A new analysis of lung cancer mortality in a cohort of male Mayak workers who started their employment in the plutonium and reprocessing plants between 1948 and 1958 has been carried out in terms of a relative risk model. The follow-up has been extended until 1999, moreover a new dosimetry system (DOSES2000) has been established. Particular emphasis has been given to a discrimination of the effects of external gamma-exposure and internal alpha-exposure due to incorporated plutonium.

Cancer mortality risk among workers at the Mayak nuclear complex.

At present, direct data on risk from protracted or fractionated radiation exposure at low dose rates have been limited largely to studies of populations exposed to low cumulative doses with resulting low statistical power. We evaluated the cancer risks associated with protracted exposure to external whole-body gamma radiation at high cumulative doses (the average dose is 0.8 Gy and the highest doses exceed 10 Gy) in Russian nuclear workers.

Liver cancers in Mayak workers.

Liver cancer mortality risks were evaluated in 11,000 workers who started working at the "Mayak" Production Association in 1948-1958 and who were exposed to both internally deposited plutonium and external gamma radiation. Comparisons with Russian liver cancer incidence rates indicate excess risk, especially among those with detectable plutonium body burdens and among female workers in the plutonium plant. Comparisons within the Mayak worker cohort which evaluate the role of plutonium body burden with adjustment for cumulative external dose indicate excess risk among workers with burdens estimated to exceed 7.

Bone cancers in Mayak workers.

Bone cancer mortality risks were evaluated in 11,000 workers who started working at the "Mayak" Production Association in 1948-1958 and who were exposed to both internally deposited plutonium and external gamma radiation. Comparisons with Russian and U.S.

Lung cancer mortality among male nuclear workers of the Mayak facilities in the former Soviet Union.

An analysis of lung cancer mortality in a cohort of 1,669 Mayak workers who started their employment in the plutonium and reprocessing plants between 1948 and 1958 has been carried out in terms of a relative risk model. Particular emphasis has been given to a discrimination of the effects of external gamma-ray exposure and internal alpha-particle exposure due to incorporated plutonium. This study has also used the information from a cohort of 2,172 Mayak reactor workers who were exposed only to external gamma rays.

Characteristics of the cohort of workers at the Mayak nuclear complex.

At Branch No. 1 of the Russian State Research Center "Biophysics Institute", a registry has been created of workers at the "Mayak" Production Association, the first nuclear complex in Russia. This registry includes 18,830 persons hired at Mayak's nuclear reactors and radiochemical and plutonium production plant between 1948 and 1972.

Lung cancer risk due to exposure to incorporated plutonium.

An epidemiological study has been carried out among 1,479 male workers who started working at the "Mayak" Production Association in 1948-1958 and were exposed to external gamma radiation and plutonium aerosols. Lung cancer mortality for the follow-up period 1948-1993 has been analyzed. No statistically significant association of lung cancer mortality and external gamma-ray dose has been revealed in the range of accumulated doses of 0.

Verification of occupational doses at the first nuclear plant in the former Soviet Union.

Mean annual occupational exposures are reported for radiation workers at the first Russian industrial nuclear facility 'Mayak', South Ural region, for the period 1948-1988. The underlying individual doses originate from the register of the in-plant radiation safety department and are based on local film dosimetry results. Differentiation is made between personnel working at reactor and radiochemical processing plants.

Mortality among personnel who worked at the Mayak complex in the first years of its operation.

Epidemiological studies revealed increased cancer mortality among persons who began working at the Mayak complex during the period 1948-1958. Estimation of cancer risk was carried out for the sites of cancer that showed increased mortality and dependence on dose of external gamma- or internal alpha-irradiation.

Mortality among workers with chronic radiation sickness.

This study is based on a registry containing medical and dosimetric data of the employees who began working at different plants of the Mayak nuclear complex between 1948 and 1958 who developed chronic radiation sickness. Mayak is the first nuclear weapons plutonium production enterprise built in Russia and includes nuclear reactors, a radiochemical plant for plutonium separation, and a plutonium production plant. Workers whose employment began between 1948 and 1958 exhibited a 6-28% incidence of chronic radiation sickness at the different facilities.

Mortality from external causes among the personnel of Mayak's radiochemical plant.

The mortality rate from accidents, poisoning, and traumas was analyzed in 12,806 persons who started work at the radiochemical plant from 1948 to 1972. 559 persons died from these causes, which corresponds to 21.1% of the total number of deaths.

Mortality from cardiovascular diseases among male workers at the radiochemical plant of the 'Mayak' complex.

An epidemiologic retrospective study was conducted on the basis of a personnel registry, including 9373 male workers who had started to work at the radiochemical plant during the period from 1948 to 1972, inclusive. Male mortality from cardiovascular disease proved to be 271.1 cases in 100,000 persons/year on average.

Mortality from malignancies of the hematopoietic and lymphatic tissues among personnel of the first nuclear plant in the USSR.

This paper reports results from the study of mortality from malignancies of the hematopoietic and lymphatic system among personnel of the first nuclear reactor and processing plant in the USSR. Two registers have been set up. They include all personnel of the atomic reactor (register A) and of the radiochemical processing plant (register B).