Occupational studies of radon daughters and lung cancer

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:7164559

Hornung, R W ^[1]; Ballew, M A ^[2]

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1. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (US)
2. Clark Univ., Worchester, MA (US)

The relationship between exposure to radon daughters and lung cancer mortality has been established. The purpose of this paper is to review some of the major studies of the health effects due to exposure to the decay products of radon gas and to discuss their potential implications with regard to risk associated with indoor radon. There has been much recent interest in the health hazards associated with radon largely motivated by the discovery of high levels of this radioactive gas in the Reading Prong (a geological area in Pennsylvania and New Jersey) and subsequently throughout the United States. Although at least three studies in the U.S. have been initiated to better estimate the lung cancer risks from low level indoor radon exposure, the results will not be known for several years. Consequently, present knowledge concerning such risks is almost entirely derived from studies of underground exposure to miners. Those studies effectively exclude women and children; therefore, assumptions must be made with regard to risk to a large segment of the population. Before discussing current health studies of radon daughter exposure, some background information is presented.

• OSTI ID: 7164559
• Report Number(s): CONF-880679--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540130 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
560161* -- Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology-- Man
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AIR POLLUTION
BODY
CARCINOGENESIS
CARCINOMAS
DAUGHTER PRODUCTS
DISEASES
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE PATHWAY
FLUIDS
GASES
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
IRRADIATION
ISOTOPES
LOW DOSE IRRADIATION
LUNGS
NEOPLASMS
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANS
PATHOGENESIS
POLLUTION
RADIOINDUCTION
RADON
RARE GASES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
RISK ASSESSMENT
USA