Association between the neoplasm increase and uranium exploration in the municipalities of Caetité and Lagoa Real, Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

Background: It has long been known that ionising radiation is a risk factor for the development of various cancers, such as leukaemia and thyroid cancer, as shown in several studies after catastrophic events such as the bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Chernobyl accident. However, there has been an inaccuracy in stating that lower intensity events, such that the extraction and storage of uranium tailings, can contribute to a large increase in the incidence of these neoplasms.