Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39349046›Full record

ArticleOccupational and environmental medicine2024

Sarin exposure, mortality and cancer incidence in UK military veterans involved in human experiments at Porton Down: 52-year follow-up.

Gemma Archer, Thomas Keegan, Simon Wessely, Katherine M Venables, Nicola T Fear

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In one paragraph

Article in Occupational and environmental medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Gemma ArcherDepartment of Medical Education, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, UK g.archer@bsms.ac.uk.
Thomas KeeganLancaster Medical School, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-3691-953X
Simon WesselyKing's Centre for Military Health Research, Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-6743-9929
Katherine M VenablesNuffield Department of Population Health, Oxford University, Oxford, UK.
Nicola T FearKing's Centre for Military Health Research, Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-5792-2925

Funding

Medical Research Council MR/R002932/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesWe investigated whether UK military personnel exposed to sarin during the 'Service Volunteer Programme' at Porton Down had increased rates of mortality or cancer incidence over a 52-year follow-up.

methodsA historical cohort study assembled from UK military records, comprising male veterans exposed to sarin during the 'Service Volunteer Programme' at Porton Down, UK (n=2975) and a comparison group of similar veterans who did not attend (n=2919). Mortality and cancer incidence data were obtained from national registries up to December 2019. Analysis was conducted using Cox regression adjusted for age, year of birth and service characteristics.

resultsOver a median follow-up of 52.2 years (range 2 days to 74.6 years), 1598 (53.7%) sarin-exposed veterans and 1583 (54.3%) non-exposed veterans died. Adjusted HRs for all-cause mortality were raised for any sarin exposure (HR=1.08, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.16), two or more exposures (HR=1.25, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.49) and higher doses (air >15 mg.min/m

conclusionsSarin exposure was associated with increased rates of mortality over a 50-year follow-up. The strongest associations were observed for deaths attributable to alcohol and 'other' circulatory diseases.

Indexed as

NeoplasmsOccupational ExposureSarinVeteransAdultAgedCohort StudiesFollow-Up StudiesHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedMilitary PersonnelUnited KingdomYoung AdultSarinEpidemiologyMaterials, exposures or occupational groupsMilitary PersonnelMortality

Identifiers

PMID39349046
PMCPMC11503124

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.