Residential Radon Exposure and Lung Cancer Among Nonsmoking Women

Abstract

The magnitude of the lung cancer risk from radon levels commonly found in U.S. dwellings appears low.

Residential Radon and Lung Cancer Risk: An Updated Meta-analysis of Case-control Studies

“…Among them, most were excluded after abstract because they were occupational studies on miners, no case control studies, no relevant exposure or endpoint, and reviews. After assessing the full-text of the 38 relevant articles, we identified 22 eligible studies for meta-analysis (Blot et al, 1990;Schoenberg et al, 1990;Pershagen et al,1992Pershagen et al, , 1994Alavanja et al, 1994Alavanja et al, , 1999Létourneau et al, 1994;Auvinen et al, 1996;Ruosteenoja et al, 1996;Darby et al, 1998;Field et al, 2000;Sobue et al, 2000;Lagarde et al, 2001;Pisa et al, 2001;Barros-Dios et al, 2002;Wang et al, 2002;Baysson et al, 2004;Bochicchio et al, 2005;Wichmann et al, 2005;Sandler et al, 2006;Thompson et al, 2008;Wilcox et al, 2008). Seven studies were excluded for previous mete-analysis (Lubin and Boice, 1997;Pavia et al, 2003) and combined analysis in Europe, North America or China Darby et al, 2005;Krewski et al, 2005;Wang et al, 2005;Darby et al, 2006).…”

Residential radon exposure and lung cancer: Variation in risk estimates using alternative exposure scenarios

“…The detailed data collected also allowed for the calculation of risk estimates based on the other general dosimetry models used in many of the previous case -control epidemiologic studies ( Blot et al, 1990;Schoenberg et al, 1990;Pershagen et al, 1992;Pershagen et al, 1994;Alavanja et al, 1994;Alavanja et al, 1999;Letourneau et al, 1994;Auvinen et al, 1996;Ruosteenoja et al, 1996;Darby et al, 1998 ). The risk estimates obtained for the IRLCS were compared with the risk estimates that would have been obtained if the alternative models ( Table 1 ) were used.…”

“…Most of the published case -control studies ( Blot et al, 1990;Schoenberg et al, 1990;Pershagen et al, 1992;Pershagen et al, 1994;Alavanja et al, 1994;Alavanja et al, 1999;Letourneau et al, 1994;Auvinen et al, 1996;Ruosteenoja et al, 1996;Darby et al, 1998;Kreienbrock et al, 2001 ) utilized radon measurements from one or two rooms to characterize the entire domestic exposure and did not attempt to link temporal and spatial home occupancy patterns with multiple radon measurements within a home in order to calculate retrospective cumulative radon exposures for a given time period. Because the study design of the Iowa study ( Field et al, 2000 ) included multiple radon measurements in various areas where the subject spent time and the linkage of these measurements to the subjects' spatial and temporal mobility, the data from the IRLCS provide a unique opportunity to compare various exposure methods while using a common data set.…”

Effets cancérogènes des faibles doses du rayonnement ionisant

“…Les résultats discordants de ces études ne permettent ni de confirmer ni d'exclure formellement un effet cancérogène du radon (Académie des Sciences, 1995 ;UNSCEAR, 1994). Une étude récente a le mérite d'éliminer le facteur tabac en s'adressant uniquement à des femmes n'ayant jamais fumé ; elle n'a décelé aucune influence de la concentration en radon dans les habitations sur l'incidence du cancer du poumon (Alavanja et al, 1994). Ainsi ces enquêtes n'apportent M. TUBIANA aucun argument en faveur du rôle du radon dans la genèse des cancers du poumon mais, en l'absence d'une puissance statistique suffisante, elles ne permettent pas de l'exclure.…”