Asbestos exposure and mesothelioma mortality among atomic veterans

Abstract

Background

The United States (U.S.) conducted 230 above-ground atmospheric nuclear weapons tests between 1945 and 1962 involving over 250,000 military personnel. This is the first quantitative assessment of asbestos-related mesothelioma, including cancers of the pleura and peritoneum, among military personnel who participated in above-ground nuclear weapons testing.

Methods

Approximately 114,000 atomic veterans were selected for an epidemiological study because they were in one of eight series of weapons tests that were associated with somewhat higher personnel exposures than the other tests and because they have been previously studied. We were able to categorize specific jobs into potential for asbestos exposure based on a detailed database of the military activities of the atomic veterans. Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were calculated by service, rank (officer/enlisted) and ratings (occupation code and work location aboard ship) after 65 years of follow-up.

Results

Mesothelioma deaths were significantly increased overall (SMR 1.56; 95% CI 1.32–1.82; n = 153). This increase was seen only among those serving in the PPG (SMR 1.97; 95% CI 1.65–2.34; n = 134), enlisted men (SMR 1.81; 95% CI 1.53–2.13; n = 145), and the 70,309 navy personnel (SMR 2.15; 95% CI 1.80–2.56; n = 130). No increased mortality rates were seen among the other services: army (SMR 0.45), air force (SMR 0.85), or marines (SMR 0.75). Job categories with the highest potential for asbestos exposure (machinist’s mates, boiler technicians, water tender, pipe fitters, and fireman) had an of SMR 6.47. Job categories with lower potential (SMR =1.35) or no potential (SMR =1.28) for asbestos exposure had non-significantly elevated mesothelioma mortality.

Conclusions

The large excess of mesothelioma deaths seen among atomic veterans was explained by asbestos exposure among enlisted naval personnel. The sources of exposure were determined to be on navy ships in areas (or with materials) with known asbestos content. No excess of mesothelioma was observed in other services or among naval personnel with minimal exposure to asbestos in this low-dose radiation exposed cohort.

Keywords:

• Atomic veterans
• nuclear weapons tests
• asbestos
• mesothelioma
• Pacific Proving Grounds

Acknowledgements

Dr. John D. Boice, Jr. is the principal investigator for the Million Person Study. This support is acknowledged and appreciated. We also acknowledge Dr. Paul Blake, Director, Chief, Nuclear Test Personnel Review, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Department of Defense and his staff for their technical support of the project.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Notes

1 The system of ratings and their abbreviations used by the U.S. Navy evolved over more than 200 years. The rating defines the job specialty of enlisted personnel and characterizes where aboard ship (or ashore) they work and what they do. Some ratings no longer exist, and new ratings have been introduced due to changes in technology with time.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported in part by grants from the National Cancer Institute (Grant No. U01 CA137026), the U.S. Department of Energy (Grant no. DE-SC0008944 awarded to the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement which included interagency support from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Grant No. DE-AU0000042), and a Discovery Grant from the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (Center no. 404-357-9682).

Notes on contributors

John E. Till

John E. Till is the founder and President of Risk Assessment Corporation with more than 40 years of experience in environmental dosimetry. He received the E.O Lawrence award in 1995 and delivered the L.S. Taylor lecture in 2013. He also served in the U.S. Navy Nuclear Submarine Program, retiring as a Rear Admiral in 1999.

Harold L. Beck

Harold L. Beck is a leading expert on radiation dose reconstruction with more than 50 years of experience in radiation dosimetry, radiation metrology, and dose reconstruction uncertainty. He served for over 36 years in various scientific and management positions in the Department of Energy Environmental Measurements Laboratory.

John D. Boice

John D. Boice, Jr., is a radioepidemiologist with over 40 years of experience. He is the President of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements and a Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University. He is the recipient of the E.O. Lawrence award from the Department of Energy. Dr. Boice is the creator and leader of the Million Person Study in the United States.

H. Justin Mohler

H. Justin Mohler has 20 years of experience in various aspects of environmental health physics, including sampling and measurement, data analysis and interpretation, transport modelling and exposure and risk assessment, as well as extensive experience with database design and management.

Michael T. Mumma

Michael T. Mumma is the Director of Information Technology at the International Epidemiology Institute and the International Epidemiology Field Station for Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He has over 20 years of experience in data analysis and conducting epidemiologic investigations.

Jill W. Aanenson

Jill Weber Aanenson has over two decades of experience in environmental risk assessment, including emphasis on contaminant transport and modeling, uncertainty estimation and statistics, environmental monitoring, environmental database development, and exposure and risk assessment, with a special interest in radiation exposures in dentistry.

Helen A. Grogan

Helen A. Grogan has more than 30 years of experience in radioecology, dose reconstruction, and assessment of hazardous wastes, with a special interest in validation of environmental fate and transport models. She’s been a U.S. delegate to UNSCEAR since 2014.