Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and occupational radiation exposure assessed using local data.

Background: Our previous investigation of occupational exposure to ionizing radiation using a Finnish job-exposure matrix (JEM) showed no association with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in a population-based case-control study in Australia.

Aims: To determine whether occupational exposure to ionizing radiation assessed using an Australian JEM is associated with NHL.

Methods: We analysed 694 NHL cases, first diagnosed between 1 January 2000 and 31 August 2001 and 694 controls from south-eastern Australia, matched by age, sex and region of residence. A detailed occupational history was obtained using a lifetime calendar and a telephone interview. Exposure to radiation was assessed using the ionizing radiation component of an Australian JEM. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated from logistic regression models that included the matching variables as covariates.

Results: The OR for workers ever exposed to ionizing radiation was 0.86 (95% CI = 0.52-1.40). Dividing the subjects into tertiles of exposure also found ORs that were close to or below the null for each exposure group.

Conclusions: The application of an Australian JEM did not provide evidence for an association between NHL and occupational exposure to ionizing radiation and is consistent with previous analyses.