Studies on carcinogenic effect on the veterans of taking atmospheric nuclear weapons testing troops in Gansu, China

Background: to explore the carcinogenic effect about the veterans of taking atmospheric nuclear weapons testing troops in gansu, china. materials and methods: during 2005-2014, all the veterans of taking atmospheric nuclear weapons testing troops were required to have a medical examination in gansu, 3721 veterans were requested to make an occupational health examination. they were exposed the radioactive fallout particles from atmospheric nuclear burst (the total β radioactive substances and the radio-nuclides: 3h, 90sr, 137cs, 239pu, 99mo 95zr,97zr,131i,133i,and 132te etc.), they were away from testing sites 10-30 km. cancer patients were required to provide the in-patient case history and check pathologically report. for part of the veterans, the level of radiation dose was 100-150msv. results: there were 40 primary tumor and 25 malignant tumors, incidence rate was 1075 /105 and 672/105; the cancer incidence of the transportation corps was 1253 /105, average age was 48.08 years, average service life was 6.08 years; the cancer incidence of the engineering corps is 762 /105,average age is 55.56 years, average service life was 5.48 years; the comparison of the cancer incidence was shown that the trend of escalation about the cancer incidence along with the servicing year increase; in order of the cancer incidence: gastric cancer, lung cancer, carcinoma of colon, esophagus cancer, rectum cancer and skin cancer, the incidence rate was remarkably increasing (p<0.01). conclusion: it was shown that the trend of escalation about the cancer incidence along with the servicing year increase, the first was neoplasms of digestive system; it may be due to the contaminated radioactive materials transferred through the digestive tract, hence leading to in vivo irradiation.