Educational Materials on Radioactive Iodine (I-131) from Fallout

Formats: Brochures, a thyroid screening decision aid, public service announcements, and an interactive Web site
Institute: National Cancer Institute

NCI recently released educational materials to help people understand their potential thyroid cancer risk from Iodine 131 (I-131) radiation fallout due to nuclear testing in the 1950s and early 1960s. Materials include brochures, a thyroid screening decision aid, public service announcements, and a new interactive web site.

Thyroid cancer is relatively uncommon and usually curable, but it is important for people who may be affected to be aware of the risk. Based on NCI data published in 1997, it is estimated that between 11,300 and 212,000 thyroid cancers could be expected to occur among the U.S. population from exposure to I-131 from aboveground testing in Nevada.

The materials are designed for people who have increased risk of exposure to I-131 from nuclear testing in Nevada based on three key factors:

• Age—people who are now 40 or older, particularly those born between 1936 and 1963.
• Milk drinking—childhood milk drinkers, particularly those who drank large quantities of milk or who drank unprocessed milk from farm or backyard cows or goats.
• Childhood residence—people who lived in the Mountain West, Midwest, East, and Northeast areas of the United States were generally more affected by I-131 fallout than those in other areas of the country.

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