THE CURRENT STATUS OF RESIDENTIAL RADON EPIDEMIOLOGY

摘要

Lung cancer is the major cause of cancer death in the United States. Because of the magnitude of lung cancer incidence and its poor survival rate, even secondary causes of lung cancer, such as prolonged residential radon exposure, are important. The primary objective of this paper is to provide a brief overview of both the major occupational radon studies and previously published residential radon case-control studies with a focus on the past, current and future residential radon epidemiologic activities in the United States. Extrapolations from occupationally radon-exposed miners suggest that residential radon exposure is responsible for approximately 18,600 lung cancer deaths per year in the United States. Direct evidence from case-control radon epidemiologic investigations generally support the extrapolations from miners. Findings from case-control studies incorporating new radon gas and radon progeny exposure techniques suggest that earlier case-control studies may have underestimated the risk posed by residential radon exposure.