Silicosis, radon, and lung cancer risk in Ontario miners

Journal Article · Fri Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1995 · Health Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/00004032-199509000-00012· OSTI ID:229664

Finkelstein, M M ^[1]

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1. Ontario Ministry of Labour, Ontario (Canada)

The presence of radiographic silicosis was assessed as a risk factor for lung cancer in a cohort and case-control study of miners in the Ontario Silicosis Surveillance Database. Subjects were 328 miners with silicosis matched on age to 970 miners with normal radiographs. In a cancer incidence follow-up, there was a significant excess of lung cancer among miners with silicosis (Standardized Incidence Ration 2.55; 95% Confidence Interval 1.43-8.28). Miners with normal radiographs had lung cancer incidence about the same as the Ontario average (Standardized Incidence Ratio 0.90; 95% Confidence Interval 0.51-1.47). In a matched case-control analysis of lung cancer, cumulative radon exposure was associated with lung cancer risk (increase in odds ratio 0.4% per WLM; 95% Confidence Interval -0.3% to 1.1%). When the pressure of silicosis was added to the model, silicosis was a highly significant risk factor for lung cancer (Odds Ratio 6.99 95% confidence Interval -1.4% to 0.4%). This finding suggests that additional study is warranted before concluding that radon risk factors derived from mining populations do not need to be modified for application to the general population. 12 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 229664
• Journal Information: Health Physics, Journal Name: Health Physics Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 69; ISSN HLTPAO; ISSN 0017-9078
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
CORRELATIONS
HEALTH HAZARDS
INHALATION
LUNGS
MINERS
NEOPLASMS
ONTARIO
PNEUMOCONIOSES
RADON
RISK ASSESSMENT
SILICA
URANIUM MINES