Concerted Uranium Research in Europe (CURE): Toward a collaborative project integrating dosimetry, epidemiology and radiobiology to study the effects of occupational uranium exposure

E. Cardis (1, 2, 3) , J. Hall (4, 5) , L. Tomasek (6) , S. Ancelet (7) , C. Badie (8) , G. Bethel , J.-M. Bertho (7) , S. Bouet (7) , R. Bull , C. Challeton-de Vathaire (7) , R. Cockerill (9) , E. Davesne (7) , T. Ebrahimian (7) , H. Engels (10) , M. Gillies (8) , J. Grellier (1, 2, 3, 11) , S. Grison (7) , Y. Gueguen (7) , S. Hornhardt (12) , C. Ibanez (7) , S. Kabacik (8) , L. Kotik (6) , M. Kreuzer (12) , A.L. Lebacq (10) , J. Marsh (8) , D. Nosske (12) , J. O'Hagan (8) , E. Pernot (1, 2, 3) , M. Puncher (8) , E. Rage (7) , T. Riddell , L. Roy (7) , E. Samson (7) , M. Souidi (7) , M.C. Turner , S. Zhivin (7) , D. Laurier (7) , O. Laurent (7) , M. Gomolka (12) , R. Haylock (8) , E. Blanchardon (7) , A. Giussani (12) , W. Atkinson , S. Baatout (10) , D. Bingham (9)

1 ISGlobal - Instituto de Salud Global - Institute For Global Health [Barcelona]
2 UPF - Universitat Pompeu Fabra [Barcelona]
3 CIBERESP - Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública = Consortium for Biomedical Research of Epidemiology and Public Health
4 Institut Curie [Paris]
5 INSERM - Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale
6 NRPI/SURO - National Radiation Protection Institute
7 IRSN - Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire
8 Public Health England [London]
9 Atomic Weapons Establishment
10 SCK-CEN - Centre d'Etude de l'Energie Nucléaire
11 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
12 BfS - Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz - Federal Office for Radiation Protection

The potential health impacts of chronic exposures to uranium, as they occur in occupational settings, are not well characterized. Most epidemiological studies have been limited by small sample sizes, and a lack of harmonization of methods used to quantify radiation doses resulting from uranium exposure. Experimental studies have shown that uranium has biological effects, but their implications for human health are not clear. New studies that would combine the strengths of large, well-designed epidemiological datasets with those of state-of-the-art biological methods would help improve the characterization of the biological and health effects of occupational uranium exposure. The aim of the European Commission concerted action CURE (Concerted Uranium Research in Europe) was to develop protocols for such a future collaborative research project, in which dosimetry, epidemiology and biology would be integrated to better characterize the effects of occupational uranium exposure. These protocols were developed from existing European cohorts of workers exposed to uranium together with expertise in epidemiology, biology and dosimetry of CURE partner institutions. The preparatory work of CURE should allow a large scale collaborative project to be launched, in order to better characterize the effects of uranium exposure and more generally of alpha particles and low doses of ionizing radiation. © 2016 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Mots clés: Biomarkers; Curing; Dosimetry; Epidemiology; Ionizing radiation; Radiation effects; Radioisotopes; Biological effects; Collaborative projects; Collaborative research projects; Epidemiological studies; European Commission; Molecular epidemiology; Occupational exposure; Partner institutions; Uranium; uranium; adverse effects; analysis; Europe; human; Occupational Diseases; occupational exposure; procedures; radiation dose; Radiation Injuries; radiobiology; radiometry; risk assessment; risk factor; Humans; Occupational Exposure; Radiation Dosage; Radiobiology; Radiometry; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

E. Cardis, J. Hall, L. Tomasek, S. Ancelet, C. Badie, et al.. Concerted Uranium Research in Europe (CURE): Toward a collaborative project integrating dosimetry, epidemiology and radiobiology to study the effects of occupational uranium exposure. Journal of Radiological Protection, 2016, 36 (2), pp.319-345. ⟨10.1088/0952-4746/36/2/319⟩. ⟨hal-03121953⟩