Tawn E J
Genetics Unit, Westlakes Research Institute, Geoffrey Schofield Laboratory, Cumbria, UK.
J Med Genet. 1995 Apr;32(4):251-6. doi: 10.1136/jmg.32.4.251.
The demonstration of a statistical association between paternal preconceptional irradiation and childhood leukaemia appeared to provide a satisfactory explanation for the excess of cases in the village of Seascale, close to the Sellafield nuclear installation, and became the basis of two legal claims for compensation. In the ensuing scientific debate the biological plausibility of a causal interpretation of this association focused on the heritability of leukaemia and a comparison of the genetic risks implied by this finding with current information on the induction of genetic damage by irradiation. After a wide ranging review of the mechanistic issues it is concluded that there is no genetic basis for a causal relationship and this, together with recent appraisals of epidemiological studies, suggests that the association between childhood leukaemia and paternal preconceptional irradiation exposure is most likely to be a chance finding.
父亲受孕前接受辐射与儿童白血病之间存在统计学关联,这似乎为靠近塞拉菲尔德核设施的西斯科尔村白血病病例过多提供了一个令人满意的解释,并成为两项索赔补偿法律诉求的依据。在随后的科学辩论中,对这种关联进行因果解释的生物学合理性集中在白血病的遗传性,以及将这一发现所隐含的遗传风险与当前关于辐射诱发遗传损伤的信息进行比较。在对相关机制问题进行广泛审查后得出结论,不存在因果关系的遗传基础,这一点连同近期对流行病学研究作出的评估表明,儿童白血病与父亲受孕前接受辐射暴露之间的关联很可能是偶然发现。