Estimation of the temporal distribution and dose dependency of lung cancers among workers of nuclear fuel reprocessing plants.

Lung cancer mortality among 4,279 workers at the Mayak nuclear complex who were exposed to chronic irradiation both externally and internally from incorporation of plutonium was analyzed in terms of a linear relative risk model. It is estimated that excess lung cancer risk is about 1.9 Sv(-1), with an average latent period of 24 y.