Kang H K
Department of Veterans Affairs, Environmental Epidemiology Service, Washington, D.C., USA.
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1996 Nov;115(5):433-7. doi: 10.1177/019459989611500513.
Thousands of World War II veterans reportedly received nasopharyngeal irradiation with radium-tipped applicators for treatment of middle ear pressure problems known as aerotitis media. Because of concerns about adverse health effects of radiation exposure, including the increased risk of head and neck cancer, the feasibility of identification of a large number of veterans with documented exposure for an epidemiologic study was investigated. The irradiation treatments were found to have occurred at the New London Naval Medical Research Department, at several Naval Hospitals, and aboard ships during the period from 1945 to 1952. Documentation of the treatment on veterans' medical records was sparse and inconsistent. Only 8 of 668 records reviewed were found to have evidence of the radium treatment: 7 from 33 self-reported veterans and 1 from 635 names on submarine school class rosters and submarine muster rolls. There appears to be no practical way to identify from military service and medical records a large number of submariners who received the treatment.
据报道，数千名二战退伍军人曾使用镭针敷贴器进行鼻咽部照射，以治疗称为航空性中耳炎的中耳压力问题。由于担心辐射暴露对健康产生不良影响，包括头颈癌风险增加，因此对确定大量有记录暴露史的退伍军人进行流行病学研究的可行性进行了调查。结果发现，在1945年至1952年期间，新伦敦海军医学研究部、几家海军医院以及舰船上都进行过这种照射治疗。退伍军人病历中关于该治疗的记录稀少且不一致。在审查的668份记录中，仅发现8份有镭治疗的证据：33名自我报告的退伍军人中有7份，潜艇学校班级名册和潜艇点名册上的635个名字中有1份。似乎没有切实可行的方法从军事服役和医疗记录中识别出大量接受过该治疗的潜艇兵。
