Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

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

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 12, pages 197–203 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

The most direct way to derive risk estimates for residential radon progeny exposure is through epidemiologic studies that examine the association between residential radon exposure and lung cancer. However, the National Research Council concluded that the inconsistency among prior residential radon case-control studies was largely a consequence of errors in radon dosimetry. This paper examines the impact of applying various epidemiologic dosimetry models for radon exposure assessment using a common data set from the Iowa Radon Lung Cancer Study (IRLCS). The IRLCS uniquely combined enhanced dosimetric techniques, individual mobility assessment, and expert histologic review to examine the relationship between cumulative radon exposure, smoking, and lung cancer. The a priori defined IRLCS radon-exposure model produced higher odds ratios than those methodologies that did not link the subject's retrospective mobility with multiple, spatially diverse radon concentrations. In addition, the smallest measurement errors were noted for the IRLCS exposure model. Risk estimates based solely on basement radon measurements generally exhibited the lowest risk estimates and the greatest measurement error. The findings indicate that the power of an epidemiologic study to detect an excess risk from residential radon exposure is enhanced by linking spatially disparate radon concentrations with the subject's retrospective mobility.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alavanja MC Lubin JH Mahaffey JA Brownson RC Residential radon exposure and risk of lung cancer in Missouri, Am J Public Health (1999) 7: 1042–1048

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alavanja MCR Brownson RC Lubin JH Berger E Chang J Boice JD Residential radon exposure and lung cancer among nonsmoking women, J Natl Cancer Inst (1994) 86(24): 1829–1837

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Auvinen A Makelainen I Hakama M Castren O Pukkala E Reisbacka H Rytomaa T Indoor radon exposure and risk of lung cancer: a nested case–control study in Finland, J Natl Cancer Inst (1996) 88(14): 966–972

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Blot WJ Xu Z Boice JD Zhao D Stone BJ Sun J Jing L Fraumeni JF Indoor radon and lung cancer in China, J Natl Cancer Inst (1990) 82: 1025–1030

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brus CP The forgotten side of the exposure model: use of autobiographical memory in retrieval of personal mobility data MS thesis, University of Iowa 1994

  • Christensen R Blackwood LG Testing for precision and accuracy of multiple measuring devices, Technometrics (1993) 35(4): 411–420

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Darby S Whitley E Silcocks P Thakrar B Green M Lomas P Miles J Reeves G Fearn T Doll R Risk of lung cancer associated with residual radon exposure in South-West England: a case–control study, Br J Cancer (1998) 78(3): 394–408

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Field RW Lynch CF Steck DJ Fisher EF Dosimetry quality assurance: the Iowa residential radon lung cancer study, Radiat Prot Dosim (1998) 78(4): 295–303

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Field RW Smith BJ Brus CP Lynch CF Neuberger JS Steck DJ Retrospective temporal and spatial mobility of adult Iowa women, Risk Anal Int J (1998) 18(5): 575–584

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Field RW Steck DJ Lynch CF Brus CP Neuberger JS Kross BC Residential radon-222 exposure and lung cancer: exposure assessment methodology, J Exposure Anal Environ Epidemiol (1996) 6: 181–195

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Field RW Steck DJ Parkhurst MA Mahaffey JA Alavanja MCR Intercomparison of retrospective radon pregnancy measurement devices, Environ Health Perspect (1999) 107(11): 905–910

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Field RW Steck DJ Smith BJ Brus CP Neuberger JS Fisher EL Platz CE Robinson RA Woolson RF Lynch CF Residential radon gas exposure and lung cancer: the Iowa Radon Lung Cancer Study, Am J Epidemiol (2000) 151: 1091–1102

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher EF Field RW Smith BJ Lynch CF Steck DJ Neuberger JS Spatial variation of residential radon concentrations: the Iowa Radon Lung Cancer Study, Health Phys (1998) 75(5): 506–513

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kelsey JL Thompson WD Evans AS . Methods in Observational Epidemiology, Monographs in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Volume 10. Oxford University Press, New York 1986

  • Kreienbrock L Kreuzer M Gerken M Dingerkus G Wellmann J Keller G Wichmann HE Case–control study on lung cancer and residential radon in western Germany, Am J Epidemiol (2001) 153(1): 42–52

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Letourneau EG Krewski D Choi NW Goddard MJ McGregor RG Zielinski JM Du J Case–control study of residential radon and lung cancer in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Am J Epidemiol (1994) 140(4): 310–322

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lubin JH Boice JD Edling C Hornung RW Howe G Kunz E Kusiak RA Morrison HI Radford EP Samet JM Tirmarche M Woodward A Xiang YS Pierce DA Radon and lung cancer risk: a joint analysis of 11 underground miner studies NIH Publication No. 94-3644 National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 1994

  • Lubin JH Samet JM Weinberg DC Design issues in epidemiologic studies of indoor exposure to radon and risk of lung cancer, Health Phys (1990) 59: 807–817

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • NRC, National Research Council Health effects of exposure to radon, BEIR VI. Committee on health risks of exposure to radon (BEIR VI), board on radiation effects research, commission on life sciences National Academy Press, Washington, DC 1988

  • NRC, National Research Council Report of the Committee on the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation: health risks of radon and other internally deposited alpha emitters, BEIR IV. National Academy Press, Washington, DC 1988

  • Pershagen G Akerblom G Axelson O Clavensjo B Damber L Desai G Anita E Lagarde F Mellander H Svartengren M Swedjemark GA Residential radon and lung cancer in Sweden, N Engl J Med (1994) 330: 159–164

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pershagen G Liang Z-H Hrubec Z Svensson C Boice JD Residential radon exposure and lung cancer in Swedish women, Health Phys (1992) 63(2): 179–186

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pierce DA Stram DO Vaeth M Allowing for random errors in radiation dose estimates for the atomic bomb survivor data, Radiat Res (1990) 123: 275–284

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ruosteenoja E Makelainen I Rytomaa T Hakulinen T Hakama M Radon and lung cancer in Finland, Health Phys (1996) 71(2): 185–189

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schoenberg JB Klotz JB Wilcox HB Nicholls GP Gil-del-Real MT Stemhagen A Mason TJ Case–control study of residential radon and lung cancer among New Jersey women, Cancer Res (1990) 50: 6520–6524

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steck DJ Field RW The use of track registration detectors to reconstruct contemporary and historical airborne radon (222Rn) and radon progeny concentrations for a radon–lung cancer epidemiologic study, Radiat Meas (1999) 31(1–6): 401–412

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Steck DJ Field RW Lynch CF Exposure to atmospheric radon (222Rn) in central North America, Environ Health Perspect (1999) 1072: 123–127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steck DJ Alavanja MCR Field RW Parkhurst MA Bates DJ Mahaffey JA, 2002. 210Po implanted in glass surfaces by long-term exposure to indoor radon, Health Phys In press

  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Public Health Service National Cancer Institute National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences National Center for Health Statistics Center for Disease Control Food and Drug Administration Department of Energy Consumer Product Safety Commission Occupational Safety and Health Administration Department of Agriculture Legal and Administrative Impediments to the Research Conduct of Epidemiologic Research, Task Force on Environmental Cancer and Lung Disease Available from National Technical Information Service 1984

  • Weinberg CR Moledor ES Umbach DM Sandler DP Imputation of exposure histories with gaps, under an excess relative risk model, Epidemiology (1996) 7: 490–497

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • White SB Bergsten JW Alexander BV Rodman NF Phillips JL Indoor 222Rn concentrations in a probability sample of 43,000 houses across 30 states, Health Phys (1992) 62(1): 41–50

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This publication was made possible by grant number R01 ES05653 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH and grant number R01 CA85942 from the National Cancer Institute, NIH.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

    R WILLIAM FIELD & CHARLES F LYNCH

  2. Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

    BRIAN J SMITH

  3. Department of Physics, St. John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA

    DANIEL J STECK

Authors
  1. R WILLIAM FIELD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. BRIAN J SMITH
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. DANIEL J STECK
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. CHARLES F LYNCH
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to R WILLIAM FIELD.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

FIELD, R., SMITH, B., STECK, D. et al. Residential radon exposure and lung cancer: Variation in risk estimates using alternative exposure scenarios. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 12, 197–203 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500215

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500215

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links