抄録
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.
