[Carcinogenic risk in residents of the Techa riverside villages].

The paper summarizes carcinogenic risk estimates in residents of the Techa riverside villages who have been exposed for many years to radiation due to discharge of radioactive wastes from the Mayak Production Association into the Techa-Iset-Tobol-Ob river system. Analysis of cancer incidence and mortality data has shown a statistically significant dose-dependent increase in the risk of both malignant tumors and leukemia. The dependence of excess relative risk on exposure dose is well described by a linear model. No evidence has been obtained that carcinogenic risk resulting from low-rate radiation exposure is lower than that from acute exposure of A-bomb survivors. Difficulties of following up vital status due to population migration, incomplete data on mortality causes, and inaccurate dose estimates are believed to be key contributors to radiation risk uncertainties.