Residential radon in Galicia: a cross-sectional study in a radon-prone area

Lorenzo-González, María; Ruano-Raviña, Alberto; Peón, Joaquín; Piñeiro, María de las Mercedes Paíno; Dios, Juan Miguel Barros

doi:10.1088/1361-6498/aa7922

Cited by 31 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 22 publications

(33 reference statements)

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“…Comparison to global radon levels recently compiled by Gaskin et al . 9 (and accounting for other studies 28 ) indicates the 1,313,748 km 2 survey region encompasses one of the most radon-exposed large populations mapped to date (Fig. 1D).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Radon exposure is rising steadily within the modern North American residential environment, and is increasingly uniform across seasons

Stanley

Irvine

Jacques

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Human-made buildings can artificially concentrate radioactive radon gas of geologic origin, exposing occupants to harmful alpha particle radiation emissions that damage DNA and increase lung cancer risk. We examined how North American residential radon exposure varies by modern environmental design, occupant behaviour and season. 11,727 residential buildings were radon-tested using multiple approaches coupled to geologic, geographic, architectural, seasonal and behavioural data with quality controls. Regional residences contained 108 Bq/m3 geometric mean radon (min < 15 Bq/m3; max 7,199 Bq/m3), with 17.8% ≥ 200 Bq/m3. Pairwise analysis reveals that short term radon tests, despite wide usage, display limited value for establishing dosimetry, with precision being strongly influenced by time of year. Regression analyses indicates that the modern North American Prairie residential environment displays exceptionally high and worsening radon exposure, with more recent construction year, greater square footage, fewer storeys, greater ceiling height, and reduced window opening behaviour all associated with increased radon. Remarkably, multiple test approaches reveal minimal winter-to-summer radon variation in almost half of properties, with the remainder having either higher winter or higher summer radon. This challenges the utility of seasonal correction values for establishing dosimetry in risk estimations, and suggests that radon-attributable cancers are being underestimated.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Radon exposure is rising steadily within the modern North American residential environment, and is increasingly uniform across seasons

Stanley

Irvine

Jacques

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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“…7 In our series, the median radon concentration was 182 Bq/m 3 , well above the action level of 100 Bq/m 3 recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), 6 and is also higher than the average radon concentration observed in never-smoker controls who lived in the same area from a previous study by our group (median concentration 149 Bq/m 3 ), 14 or compared with the median concentration of the Galician population, established at 100 Bq/m 3 . 23 Furthermore, the patients included in this case series had lived in the dwelling where the measurements took place for an extended period, a median of 43 years, and this prolonged exposure lends greater validity to potential effect due to high radon exposure. In addition, the majority of SCLC cases included in this series were women, many of them housewives or dedicated to local agricultural labor, and thus, the proportion of daily time spent in the dwelling is higher than it would be if they worked outside the home.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small-cell lung cancer in never-smokers

et al. 2021

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Background: Lung cancer is a public health problem worldwide. Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is the most aggressive histologic type, with a 5-year survival <10%. SCLC is closely associated with tobacco consumption and infrequent in never-smokers. We aim to describe SCLC characteristics in never-smokers recruited in a radon-prone area. Patients and methods: We designed a multicentric case series where SCLC cases were recruited consecutively following histologic confirmation. Detailed information was obtained for indoor radon exposure, occupation and environmental tobacco smoke. We also collected different clinical characteristics such as extended or limited disease at diagnosis. Results: We recruited 32 never-smoking SCLC cases. Median age was 75 years and 87.5% were women; 47% had extended disease. Median radon concentration was 182 Bq/m 3. There were no statistically significant differences in residential radon concentration neither regarding age at diagnosis nor regarding sex. The most frequent symptoms were constitutional syndrome (23.1%) and coughing (23.1%). As much as 63% of cases had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Study (ECOG) status of 0-2. The 1-and 2-year survival rates were 34.4% and 21.9%, respectively. The 2-year survival rate with a localized tumor was 26.7%, compared with 18.8% for extended disease. Conclusions: These results show, for the first time, that indoor radon might not be associated with SCLC characteristics at diagnosis in never-smokers, and also confirms the low survival of this aggressive type of lung cancer also for neversmokers.

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“…Accordingly, more studies should analyse this possible increase in COPD prevalence or COPD-related complications among patients with exposure to settings with higher radon concentrations. It should be stressed here that the fact of conducting studies in areas with a high presence of radon, such as Galicia, 28,29 may well facilitate the detection of this association, should it in fact exist. Currently, a case-control study is being undertaken in Galicia to ascertain whether radon may influence the appearance of COPD.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

<p>Exposure to Residential Radon and COPD: A Systematic Review</p>

Conde-Sampayo¹,

Lorenzo-González²,

Fernández-Villar³

et al. 2020

COPD

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The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between exposure to residential radon and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by means of a systematic review. Material and Methods: A search was conducted in PubMed and OVID for papers making reference to the radon-COPD relationship. No search filters were applied, whether by date of publication, study type or sample size. All studies not written in English or Spanish were discarded. Results: A total of 174 and 57 papers were found in PubMed and OVID, respectively: of these, 13 (11 on miners and 2 on the general population) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Only four of the studies on cohorts of miners analysed COPD as a specific disease, and only one reported statistically significant results. In addition, many of these studies lacked information on tobacco use among miners. In contrast, studies conducted on the general public showed an association between mortality and hospital admissions, on the one hand, and residential radon on the other. Conclusion: There are not enough studies to provide a basis for confirming or ruling out an association between radon exposure and COPD. Nonetheless, the most recent general population studies point to evidence of a possible association. In view of the heterogeneity of available studies, it is impossible to say whether this gas may or may not affect COPD morbidity and mortality, until such a time as further studies are carried out.

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Residential radon in Galicia: a cross-sectional study in a radon-prone area

Cited by 31 publications

References 22 publications

Radon exposure is rising steadily within the modern North American residential environment, and is increasingly uniform across seasons

Radon exposure is rising steadily within the modern North American residential environment, and is increasingly uniform across seasons

Small-cell lung cancer in never-smokers

<p>Exposure to Residential Radon and COPD: A Systematic Review</p>

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