Estimated Risk from Exposure to Radon Decay Products in US Homes

摘要

Recent analyses now permit direct estimation of the risks of lung cancer from radon decay products in US homes. Analysis of data from indoor monitoring in single-family homes yields a tentative frequency distribution of annual-average sup 222 Rn concentrations averaging 55 Bq m sup -3 and having 2% of homes exceeding 300 Bq m sup -3 . Application of the results of occupational epidemiological studies, either directly or using recent advances in lung dosimetry, to indoor exposures suggests that the average indoor concentration entails a lifetime risk of lung cancer of 0.3% or about 10% of the total risk of lung cancer. The risk to individuals occupying the homes with 300 Bq m sup -3 or more for their lifetimes is estimated to exceed 2%, with risks from the homes with thousands of Bq m sup -3 correspondingly higher, even exceeding the total risk of premature death due to cigarette smoking. The potential for such average and high-level risks in ordinary homes forces development of a new perspective on environmental exposures. (ERA citation 12:001994)