A number of epidemiological studies of workers in the US Department of Energy nuclear complex have examined associations between exposure to ionizing radiation and cancer mortality. These studies have primarily focused on the effects of external exposure to ionizing radiation, while
relatively less attention has been given to investigations of the consequences of internal exposure to the radionuclides encountered in these settings. In this presentation, we will discuss some of the reasons for differences in the level of attention that has been given to
analyses of external and internal sources of radiation exposures, and review problems related to detection limits, recording practices, identification of specific radionuclides, and dose estimation methods that we have encountered in the use of historical internal radiation dosimetry records for workers at the Hanford Site, a plutonium production facility in Washington State. Then, we will review the approach that we developed for classifying workers by level of internal radiation exposure potential at the Hanford Site. Issues of interpreting future findings will be discussed within the context of the
epidemiological literature of internal radiation exposure among nuclear industry workers, and potential concerns about biases due to selection and exposure misclassification.
Learning Objectives: None
Keywords: Occupational Exposure, Occupational Health