Problems in the radon versus lung cancer test of the linear no-threshold theory and a procedure for resolving them

Journal Article · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1996 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society

OSTI ID:426562

Cohen, B L ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

It has been shown that lung cancer rates in U.S. counties, with or without correction for smoking, decrease with increasing radon exposure, in sharp contrast to the increase predicted by the linear-no-threshold (LNT) theory. The discrepancy is by 20 standard deviations, and very extensive efforts to explain it were not successful. Unless a plausible explanation for this discrepancy (or conflicting evidence) can be found, continued use of the LNT theory is a violation of {open_quotes}the scientific method.{close_quotes} Nevertheless, LNT continues to be accepted and used by all official and governmental organizations, such as the International Commission on Radiological Protection, the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, the Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, the National Academy of Sciences - U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Board of Radiation Effects Research, Environmental Protection Agency etc., and there has been no move by any of these bodies to discontinue or limit its use. Assuming that they rely on the scientific method, this clearly implies that they have a plausible explanation for the discrepancy. The author has made great efforts to discover these `plausible explanations` by inquiries through various channels, and the purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss them.

• OSTI ID: 426562
• Report Number(s): CONF-961103--
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Vol. 75; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
BACKGROUND RADIATION
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
CARCINOMAS
CORRELATIONS
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
EPIDEMIOLOGY
IONIZING RADIATIONS
LOW DOSE IRRADIATION
LUNGS
MAN
RADON