Last updated 10:20, Friday, 07 March 2008

SELLAFIELD workers exposed to high levels of radiation over long periods before the 1980s may be more at risk of suffering heart attacks or strokes, says new research.

The risk was uncovered by a study of the records of 65,000 nuclear industry staff, including 30,000 at Sellafield.

All were employed at British Nuclear Fuels sites between 1946 and 2002.

Sellafield Limited said there was no direct evidence that radiation exposure was the cause of circulatory disease exposed by the study, published on Tuesday.

Professor Steve Jones, who worked on the study with West Cumbria based Westlakes Scientific Consulting, said: “What we’ve shown is an association between relatively high levels of occupational exposure to radiation and mortality from circulatory system disease.

“However, we have not been able to take account of all the other possible causes of circulatory system disease.”

He said a link with radiation was tentative at best.

The study also found nuclear workers had lower death rates than the local general population.

Professor Jones added: “Socio-economic status had a greater influence on mortality rate of the cohort than did radiation exposure status.”

Statistician Michael Gillies, also involved in the study, said further research was needed to determine whether radiation exposure was directly responsible.

Janine Allis-Smith, from Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment, said she knew of former Sellafield workers who had suffered strokes or heart disease whose illnesses attracted no compensation.

She said: “Compensation schemes only pay out for cancers and cataracts.

“They don’t want to admit this problem but if they accept a link with heart disease and that sort of thing then the compensation will have to include a lot more people.”