Radon, cigarette smoke, and lung cancer: A re-analysis of the Colorado Plateau uranium miners' data [see comments]

Journal Article · Sat May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993 · Epidemiology; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/00001648-199305000-00004· OSTI ID:7369161

Moolgavkar, S H; Luebeck, E G; Krewski, D; Zielinski, J M ^[1]

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1. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA (United States)

Much of our knowledge regarding the interaction of radon and tobacco smoke in the etiology of human lung cancer derives from studies of uranium miners. In this article, we present a re-analysis of lung cancer mortality in the Colorado Plateau miners' cohort within the framework of the two-mutation clonal expansion model of carcinogenesis. This analysis takes into account the patterns of exposure to radon and cigarette smoke experienced by individuals in the cohort. A simultaneous re-analysis of the British doctors' cohort indicated that those model parameters relating to the effects of tobacco were comparable in the two data sets. We found no evidence of interaction between radon and tobacco smoke with respect to their joint effect on the first or second stage mutation rates or on the rate of proliferation of initiated cells. The age-specific relative risks associated with joint exposure to radon and cigarette smoke, however, were supra-additive but submultiplicative. The analysis also confirmed that fractionation of radon exposures leads to higher lung cancer risks. Finally, we present some estimates of lung cancer risk from environmental radon exposure for non-smokers and smokers.

• OSTI ID: 7369161
• Journal Information: Epidemiology; (United States), Journal Name: Epidemiology; (United States) Vol. 4:3; ISSN EPIDEY; ISSN 1044-3983
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560151* -- Radiation Effects on Animals-- Man
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AEROSOLS
ANIMALS
CARCINOGENESIS
CELL PROLIFERATION
COLLOIDS
COLORADO PLATEAU
CORRELATIONS
DISEASE INCIDENCE
DISEASES
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
ETIOLOGY
FLUIDS
FRACTIONATION
GASES
MAMMALS
MAN
MINERS
MINES
MORTALITY
MOUNTAINS
NEOPLASMS
NONMETALS
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
PATHOGENESIS
PERSONNEL
PRIMATES
RADON
RARE GASES
RESIDUES
RISK ASSESSMENT
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SMOKES
SOLS
TOBACCO SMOKES
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
URANIUM MINES
VERTEBRATES