Risk of senile cataract among nuclear industry workers

Abstract

Aim - to assess the relative risk (RR) of senile cataract in a cohort of workers occupationally exposed to external gamma-rays over a long time period. Material and methods. The RR of cataract development was studied in a cohort of nuclear workers that were first employed in 1948-1982 and followed up till the end of 2008 (n=22, 377; females, 25.4%). The mean age at initial employment was 24.9 years. The mean cumulative gamma-ray dose was 0.54 Sv in males and 0.44 Sv in females. The analysis performed with EPICURE software provided RR estimates for cataract incidence in relation to a number of non-radiation and radiation factors. Results. The RR of senile cataract increased with the attained age of the workers. The RR was significantly higher in males during the 2006-2008 period as compared to the 1996-2005 period. The RR was significantly higher in workers that were diagnosed with glaucoma and high myopia as compared to those that were not. The risk of senile cataract increased with the external gamma-ray dose and was the highest in workers who had formerly been exposed to doses above 2.00 Sv. The RR of senile cataract showed no dependency on sex, age at initial employment, smoking status, alcohol consumption, or diabetes mellitus. Conclusion. The incidence of senile cataract in the cohort under study was found to depend on both non-radiation and radiation factors.