Domestic radon concentration and childhood cancer study in Cairo, Egypt

Indoor radon and childhood leukaemia

“…In 1987, Stjernfeldt et al (19) published the first case -control study on indoor radon and childhood leukaemia, with seven acute leukaemia cases living in the Ö stergö tland region of Sweden. The mean radon concentration measured in the last houses occupied by the leukaemia cases was 156 Bq m 23 and that for the matched controls was 333 Bq m 23 .…”

“…Kaletsch et al (21) measured radon in the homes occupied for at least 1 y of 82 children with acute leukaemia ( primarily ALL) and 209 controls in Lower Saxony, Germany, corresponding to 40% of eligible cases and 34% of eligible controls. The results showed an odds ratio of 1.30 (95% CI: 0.32 -5.33) for an exposure contrast of .70 versus ,70 Bq m 23 .…”

“…Evrard et al (16) studied the mean indoor radon concentrations and acute leukaemia incidence in 348 geographical units (zones d'emploi) in France between 1990 and 1998, with 4015 cases registered by the French National Registry of Childhood Leukaemia and Lymphoma. The mean indoor radon concentrations varied from 15 to 387 Bq m 23 in the 348 areas. The results showed a 24% (95% CI: 8-44%) increase in the standardised incidence ratio (SIR) for AML and a 3% (95% CI: -5 -11%) increase in the SIR for ALL per 100 Bq m 23 increase in mean radon concentration.…”

A prediction model for assessing residential radon concentration in Switzerland

“…However, less is known with respect to the association with childhood cancer, in particular to childhood leukaemia, the most common type of childhood cancer (Miller et al, 1994). Previous case-control studies have reported inconsistent results (Cartwright et al, 2002;Kaletsch et al, 1999;Lubin et al, 1998;Maged et al, 2000;Raaschou-Nielsen et al, 2008;Steinbuch et al, 1999;Stjernfeldt et al, 1987), whereas ecological studies have found an association between childhood leukaemia and indoor radon concentration (Collman et al, 1991;Evrard et al, 2005Evrard et al, , 2006Henshaw et al, 1990;Kohli et al, 2000;Lucie, 1989;Muirhead et al, 1991;Richardson et al, 1995;Thorne et al, 1996). Despite this, evidence from ecological studies is limited because confounding can not be controlled.…”

Environmental Radioactivity Comparison Study for the Glaze-Clay Surface of Ceramic Tiles by Tracks Technique

“…Prolonged exposure to radon may increase the risk of lung cancer (ICRP, 1979, ICRP, 2007, Maged et al, 2000, Popovic et al, 1996, Todorović et al, T 1999and Saad, 2008 because it delivers 55% of the total dose to the cells of the respiratory system UNSCEAR (2006). In some, but not all, studies of groups of people either occupationally exposed to, or resident in areas of, high natural radiation, including elevated levels of radon and its decay products, an increased incidence of chromosomal aberrations has been observed.…”