Cancer Risk from the Lifetime Intake of Ra and U Isotopes

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Abstract
From extensive human data on the induction of skeletal cancers (bone sarcomas and carcinomas of the head sinuses) by 226Ra 228Ra and 224Ra the cumulative lifetime risk to I million people, each ingesting 5 pCi of a Ra isotope per day, was calculated to be nine bone sarcomas plus 12 head carcinomas for 226Ra, 22 bone sarcomas for 228Ra and 1.6 bone sarcomas for 224Ra Assuming that the risk per rad of average skcletal dose is equal for 226Ra and the U isotopes with half lives exceeding 1000 yr and that the equilibrium skeletal content is 25 times the daily ingestion of 226Ra, but 11 times the daily ingestion of long-lived U, the cumulative life-span risk to 1 million persons, each ingesting 5 pCi per day of 233U 234U, 235U 236U or 238U, is estimated to be about 1.5 bone sarcomas. The U risk is not well established and additional research is needed on the metabolism of U in humans and its carcinogenicity in laboratory animals. These estimates assume linear dose responses. However, if incidence varies with the square of dose, virtually no induced cancers would be expected from these levels of radioactivity.

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