world cancer report - iarc

Agent or substance Cancer site/cancer
IARC Group 1: Carcinogenic to humans
X-rays and gamma-radiation Various – all sites
Solar radiation Skin
Radon-222 and its decay products Lung
Radium-224, -226, -228 and their decay products Bone
Thorium-232 and its decay products Liver, including
haemangiosarcoma; leukaemia
Radioiodines (including iodine-131) Thyroid
Plutonium-239 and its decay products (aerosols) Lung, liver, bone
Phosphorus-32 Leukaemia
Neutrons Various
Alpha (α) particle-emitting radionuclides Various
Beta (β) particle-emitting radionuclides Various
IARC Group 2A: Probably carcinogenic to humans
Sunlamps and sun beds, use of Skin
Ultraviolet radiation Skin
Table 2.15 Various forms and sources of radiation that are carcinogenic to humans (IARC Group 1) or probably
carcinogenic to humans (IARC Group 2A).
Frequency Class Type of device or service
30 - 300 kHz LF (low) LF broadcast and long-range radio
300 - 3,000 kHz MF (medium) AM radio, radio navigation, ship-to-shore
3 - 30 MHz HF (high) CB radio, amateurs, HF radio communications
and broadcast
30 - 300 MHz VHF (very high) FM radio, VHF TV, emergency services
300 - 3,000 MHz UHF (ultra high) UHF TV, paging, mobile telephones,
amateur radios
3 - 30 GHz SHF (super high) Microwaves, satellite communications,
radar, point to point microwave
communications
30 - 300 GHz EHF (extremely high) Radar, radioastronomy, short-link
microwave communications
Table 2.16 Radiofrequency range: class and type of device or service.
52 The causes of cancer
Fig. 2.36 The Chernobyl nuclear power plant following
the accident in 1986.
Knowledge of associated health effects
comes from epidemiological study of hundreds
of thousands of exposed persons,
including the survivors of the atomic
bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
patients irradiated for therapeutic purposes,
populations with occupational exposures
and people exposed as a result of
accidents. These data are complemented
by findings from large-scale animal experiments
carried out to evaluate the effects
of different types of radiation, taking
account of variation in dose and exposure
pattern, and with reference to cellular and
molecular endpoints. Such experiments
are designed to characterize the mechanisms
of radiation damage, repair and carcinogenesis.
Survivors of the atomic bombings in
Hiroshima and Nagasaki were exposed
primarily to γ-rays. Amongst these people,
dose-related increases in the risk of
leukaemia, breast cancer, thyroid cancer
and a number of other malignancies have
been observed. Increased frequency of
these same malignancies has also been
observed among cancer patients treated
with X-rays or γ-rays. The level of cancer
risk after exposure to X-rays or γ-rays is
modified by a number of factors in addition
to radiation dose, and these include
the age at which exposure occurs, the
length of time over which radiation is
received and the sex of the exposed person.
Exposure to high-dose radiation
increases the risk of leukaemia by over
five-fold. Even higher relative risks have
been reported for thyroid cancer following
irradiation during childhood.