Abstract
Japanese nuclear power plants (NPPs) located in the four main islands of Japan, from Hokkaido to Kyushu and the commissioning years are not same. Results by ecological studies can raise a social concern even for small radiation risk due to NPP routine operation. We analyzed geographical patterns of cancer mortality in all Japan from all lymphoid-hemopoietic tissues (ALHT) and non-digestive organs. Analysis was conducted for specific non-digestive organs and for tumors including benign ones of central nervous system. Those rates in 20 municipalities with an NPP were also examined. The rates in 1972-1997 were examined using Poisson regression taking into account of area, sex, age at death and year. ALHT cancers account for 5.9% of all cancer deaths. Non-digestive cancers account for 35.6% of all solid cancers (non-ALHT). Geographical variation by six area blocks (each block consisted of 7 to 9 prefectures) and five periods was larger in ALHT cancers than in all solid cancers. It was larger in all non-digestive cancers than in all digestive ones. But the variations in both ALHT and all non-digestive cancers were simpler than in leukemia and malignant lymphoma. Specific sites of non-digestive cancers include lung, female breast, uterus, ovary, prostate, bladder, and thyroid. Except ALHT cancers in females, none of geographical pattern of all solid cancers, digestive or non-digestive solid cancers produced any superficial increase in 20 municipalities with an NPP in contrast with the pattern associated with adult T-cell leukemia misclassification for leukemia.
