Low-Level Environmental Radiation and U.S. Mortality

<p>An approach to an association between environmental radiation and mortality rates is investigated for 61 U.S. cities for the years 1961 to 1967. Environmental radiation is measured by weapons fallout (⁹⁰Sr, ¹³¹I, ¹³⁷Cs , ¹⁴⁰Ba , and ⁸⁹sr) and by cosmic radiation. Other factors known to affect mortality rates are entered in the analysis, including air pollution and socioeconomic factors. Multiple regression techniques . are used to relate each mortality rate (total, infants under one year, infants under 28 days, and fetuses) to the radiation, air pollution, and socioeconomic variables. A series of specifications is developed in an attempt to account for important missing variables and other specification errors. In spite of·these specification errors, poor data, and theoretical ⁹⁰SR and ¹³⁷Cs . difficulties, the levels of Sr and Cs in milk are found to be associated with the mortality rates in a consistent, stable, and important fashion. Although these results do not prove that environmental radiation causes increased mortality they do indicate that it would be unreasonable to rule out the existence of such a relationship. The paper concludes with a call for the collection of more consistent, relevant, and comprehensive data to enable a better understanding and more precise estimation of this association.</p>