Technical Report No. 5-81

Life Span Study Report 9. Part 2. Mortality from causes other than cancer among atomic bomb survivors, 1950-78

Kato H, Brown CC, Hoel DG, Schull WJ

 

Editor’s note:

The following journal articles, based on this ABCC technical report, were published in the scientific literature:
Kato H, Brown CC, Hoel DG, Schull WJ: Studies of the mortality of A-bomb survivors. Report 7. Mortality, 1950-78: Part 2. Mortality from causes other than cancer and mortality in early entrants. Radiat Res 91:243-64, 1982
Kato H, Brown CC, Hoel DG, Schull WJ: Studies of the mortality of A-bomb survivors. 7. Mortality, 1950-78: Part 2. Mortality from causes other than cancer and mortality in early entrants. Hiroshima Igaku [J Hiroshima Med Assoc] 36:193-206, 1983 (in Japanese)

 

Summary

Deaths in the RERF Life Span Study (LSS) sample have been determined for the four years, 1975-78, and mortality examined for the 28 years since 1950. An analysis of cancer mortality is reported separately (LSS Report 9 Part 1). In this report, we examined whether mortality from causes other than cancer is also increased or whether a nonspecific acceleration of aging occurs.

Cumulative mortality from causes other than cancer, estimated by the life table method, does not increase with radiation dose in either city, in either sex, or in any of the five different age at time of bomb (ATB) groups.

No specific cause of death, other than cancer, exhibits a significant relationship with atomic bomb exposure. Thus there is still no evidence of a nonspecific acceleration of aging due to radiation in this cohort.

Mortality before the LSS sample was established has been reanalyzed using three supplementary mortality surveys to determine the magnitude of the possible bias from the exclusion of deaths prior to 1950. It is unlikely that such a bias seriously affects the interpretation of the radiation effects observed in the cohort after 1950.

Early entrants who are believed to have received very low levels of induced radiation still experience a lower mortality than that experienced by the late entrants or the 0 rad exposed group. No excess of deaths from leukemia or other malignant tumors is observed for the early entrants in this cohort.

 

Editor’s note: 

The following components of this report contain data on communicable disease frequencies, allergies, malignancies, and many other symptoms that may be of interest from a public health standpoint.

 

List of Tables

1. Cumulative probability of death from all causes (1950-78) by dose, city, sex, and age ATB
2. Cumulative probability of noncancer death (1950-78) by dose, city, sex, and age ATB
3. Cumulative probability of cancer death (1950-78) by dose, city, sex, and age ATB
4. Observed number of deaths and ratio of observed to expected deaths by dose, and excess deaths per million person-year rad (PYR) for major causes of death, 1950-78
5. Standard mortality ratio (based on all-Japan death rates) for deaths from all diseases except neoplasms by exposure status, period, and city, 1946-74
6. Excess deaths from all diseases except neoplasms and blood diseases per million person-year rad (PYR) by period, city, and sex, 1950-78
7. Mortality from tuberculosis and other infectious diseases prior to 1950
8. Classification of early entrants by date of entry and proximity to hypocenter
9. Number of subjects and person years at risk of early entrants, late entrants, and exposed (0 rad) by city, 1950-78
10. Observed and expected deaths from all causes among early entrants, late entrants, and exposed (0 rad) by year of death and city
11. Observed and expected deaths from leukemia among early entrants, late entrants, and exposed (0 rad) by year of death and city
12. Observed and expected deaths from all cancer except leukemia among early entrants, late entrants, and exposed (0 rad) by year of death and city

 

List of Figures

1. Cumulative mortality from all causes except cancer by age ATB and dose, 1950-78
2. Deaths per 10,000 per year from all causes except cancer by age ATB and dose, 1950-78, 100+ rad vs 0 rad