The mortality and cancer morbidity experience of workers at the Capenhurst uranium enrichment facility 1946-95.

The results presented here contain the follow-up of the cohort of workers ever employed at the Capenhurst site of British Nuclear Fuels plc or its predecessors between 1946 and 1995. The main activity of the plant is isotopic, 235U, enrichment of uranium. The study cohort consists of 12,540 employees and contains 334,473 person-years of follow up. This is a relatively mature cohort, with a mean follow-up period of 26.7 years, that has been exposed to low levels of radiation. The collective external radiation dose received by the 3244 radiation workers was 31.95 person-sieverts, with mean cumulative dose 9.85 mSv. To the end of 1995 there have been 3841 deaths recorded for this cohort, 585 of which were amongst radiation workers. The standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) for all causes were significantly low, 83 and 91 respectively, for radiation and non-radiation workers, indicating the usual 'healthy worker' effect. The cancer mortality was less than that expected, though not significantly so, with SMRs for all cancers of 88 and 97, for radiation and non-radiation workers respectively. The cancer registration rates were significantly low, with standardised registration ratios (SRRs) for all cancers of 82 and 88, for radiation and non-radiation workers respectively. An association between bladder cancer registrations and cumulative external radiation exposure was noted when the cumulative external dose was lagged by 20 years.