Methods and Findings on Diet and Lifestyle Used to Support Estimation of Radiation Doses from Radioactive Fallout from the Trinity Nuclear Test.

The Trinity nuclear test was detonated in south-central New Mexico on 16 July 1945; in the early 2000s, the National Cancer Institute undertook a dose and cancer risk projection study of the possible health impacts of the test. In order to conduct a comprehensive dose assessment for the Trinity test, we collected diet and lifestyle data relevant to the populations living in New Mexico around the time of the test. This report describes the methodology developed to capture the data used to calculate radiation exposures and presents dietary and lifestyle data results for the main exposure pathways considered in the dose reconstruction. Individual interviews and focus groups were conducted in 2017 among older adults who had lived in the same New Mexico community during the 1940s or 1950s. Interview questions and guided group discussions focused on specific aspects of diet, water, type of housing, and time spent outdoors for different age groups. Thirteen focus groups and 11 individual interviews were conducted among Hispanic, White, and Native American participants. Extensive written notes and audio recordings aided in the coding of all responses used to derive ranges, prevalence, means, and standard deviations for each exposure variable for various age categories by region and ethnicity. Children aged 11-15 y in 1940s or 1950s from the rural plains had the highest milk intakes (993 mL d), and lowest intakes were among 11- to 15-y-olds in mountainous regions (191 mL d). Lactose intolerance rates were 7-71%, and prevalence was highest among Native Americans. Meat was not commonly consumed in the summer in most communities, and if consumed, it was among those aged 11-15 y of age or older who had relatively small amounts of 100-200 g d. Most drinking and cooking water came from covered wells, and most homes were made of adobe, which provided more protection from external radiation than wooden structures. The use of multiple approaches to trigger memory and collect participant reports on diet and other factors from the distant past seemed effective. These data were summarized, and together with other information, these data have been used to estimate radiation doses for representative persons of all ages in the main ethnic groups residing in New Mexico at the time of the Trinity nuclear test.

Estimation of Radiation Doses to U.S. Military Test Participants from Nuclear Testing: A Comparison of Historical Film-Badge Measurements, Dose Reconstruction and Retrospective Biodosimetry.

Retrospective radiation dose estimations, whether based on physical or biological measurements, or on theoretical dose reconstruction, are limited in their precision and reliability, particularly for exposures that occurred many decades ago. Here, we studied living U.S. military test participants, believed to have received high-dose radiation exposures during nuclear testing-related activities approximately six decades ago, with two primary goals in mind. The first was to compare three different approaches of assessing past radiation exposures: 1. Historical personnel monitoring data alone; 2. Dose reconstruction based on varying levels of completeness of individual information, which can include film badge data; and 3. Retrospective biodosimetry using chromosome aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes. The second goal was to use the collected data to make the best possible estimates of bone marrow dose received by a group with the highest military recorded radiation doses of any currently living military test participants. Six nuclear test participants studied had been on Rongerik Atoll during the 1954 CASTLE Bravo nuclear test. Another six were present at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and/or Pacific Proving Ground (PPG) and were believed to have received relatively high-dose exposures at those locations. All were interviewed, and all provided a blood sample for cytogenetic analysis. Military dose records for each test participant, as recorded in the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's Nuclear Test Review and Information System, were used as the basis for historical film badge records and provided exposure scenario information to estimate dose via dose reconstruction. Dose to bone marrow was also estimated utilizing directional genomic hybridization (dGH) for high-resolution detection of radiation-induced chromosomal translocations and inversions, the latter being demonstrated for the first time for the purpose of retrospective biodosimetry. As the true dose for each test participant is not known these many decades after exposure, this study gauged the congruence of different methods by assessing the degree of correlation and degree of systematic differences. Overall, the best agreement between methods, defined by statistically significant correlations and small systematic differences, was between doses estimated by a dose reconstruction methodology that exploited all the available individual detail and the biodosimetry methodology derived from a weighted average dose determined from chromosomal translocation and inversion rates. Employing such a strategy, we found that the Rongerik veterans who participated in this study appear to have received, on average, bone marrow equivalent doses on the order of 300-400 mSv, while the NTS/ PPG participants appear to have received approximately 250-300 mSv. The results show that even for nuclear events that occurred six decades in the past, biological signatures of exposure are still present, and when taken together, chromosomal translocations and inversions can serve as reliable retrospective biodosimeters, particularly on a group-average basis, when doses received are greater than statistically-determined detection limits for the biological assays used.

Design elements for the development of cancer education print materials for a Latina/o audience.

Health educators can help reduce cancer disparities in Latino populations through the creation of effective print materials. In this effort, the National Cancer Institute conducted a comprehensive needs assessment to identify key design elements of cancer education programs and create a cost-effective process that would ensure consistency in the development of materials. This article introduces the Checklist of Design Elements for the Development of Cancer Education Print Materials for Latina/o Audiences (CEMLA), which includes a total of 10 design elements related to the process of developing materials and content. Using social learning theory as a theoretical framework, design elements are included that reflect cultural sensitivity at the surface and deep structure levels. This is the most comprehensive effort to date to integrate and synthesize theory and application in the design of materials for this audience.