Risk of stillbirth in offspring of men exposed to ionising radiation

Abstract

Radiation genetic risk models are employed to predict the frequency ofradiation-related stillbirths to partners of occupationally exposed maleworkers, using the incidence data recently reported by Parker et al from an epidemiological study of Cumbrian births. Expanding on previouslydeveloped conservative risk estimates suggests that, of the 130 observedstillbirths to partners of male radiation workers, 0.3 cases would beattributable to paternal preconceptional irradiation, in contrast to the 17.5(95% confidence interval: 3.1 to 31.9) cases predicted by Parker et al from their preferred dose-response model. The incompatibility of the resultsreported by Parker et al with those from other investigations, bothepidemiological and experimental, and the inability of the study to consider anumber of factors which might affect stillbirth rates, particularly thoserelating to the mother, make it difficult to accept that paternal irradiationreceived occupationally could have contributed to a detectable increase instillbirths.