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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Estimated risk from exposure to radon decay products in US homes

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5013339
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.
Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (USA). Applied Science Div.
DOE Contract Number:
AC03-76SF00098
OSTI ID:
5013339
Report Number(s):
LBL-21642; CONF-8509332-1; ON: DE87000052
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English