Evaluation of fifteen epidemiologic studies examining the lung cancer mortality of underground miners

Technical Report · Thu May 09 00:00:00 EDT 1985

OSTI ID:5471794

A group of 15 epidemiologic studies was identified in which researchers reported excess lung cancer deaths among underground miners who worked in mines where radon (10043922) progeny were present. Several other studies demonstrated a dose response relationship existing between radon progeny exposure and mortality from lung cancer. Two recent studies indicated excess numbers of cases of lung cancer deaths resulting from mean cumulative radon progeny exposures below 100 Working Level Months (WLM). In the mining environment exposure can also occur to other substances such as arsenic (1332214), diesel exhaust, smoking, chromium (7440473), nickel (7440020), and radiation, which can affect the lung cancer risk resulting from exposure to radon progeny. Not much was available in the literature which deals with the results of these combined exposures except the finding that a combined exposure to radon progeny and cigarette smoke resulted in a higher risk than exposure to either substance alone. X-ray surveillance and sputum cytology appeared to be ineffective in preventing radon progeny induced lung cancers in individual miners. There does not appear to be any particular association between one specific lung cancer cell type and radon progeny exposure.

• Research Organization: National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (United States). Div. of Standards Development and Technology Transfer
• OSTI ID: 5471794
• Report Number(s): PB-91-173385/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ARSENIC
CARCINOGENESIS
CHROMIUM
LUNGS
NEOPLASMS
EPIDEMIOLOGY
NICKEL
RADON
URANIUM
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
EXHAUST GASES
MINERS
MORTALITY
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
UNDERGROUND MINING
ACTINIDES
BODY
DISEASES
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
GASEOUS WASTES
GASES
METALS
MINING
NONMETALS
ORGANS
PATHOGENESIS
PERSONNEL
RARE GASES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
SEMIMETALS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
WASTES
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
560161 - Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology- Man