Association of systemic lupus erythematosus with uranium exposure in a community living near a uranium-processing plant: a nested case-control study.

Objective: To explore the hypothesis that cases of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) would be found more frequently in community members with high prior uranium exposure in the Fernald Community Cohort (FCC).

Methods: A nested case-control study was performed using data from the FCC, a volunteer population of individuals who had resided near a uranium ore-processing plant in Fernald, Ohio during the years of plant operation; uranium plant workers were excluded. Members of the FCC were monitored for 18 years.