Residential Radon and Risk of Lung Cancer in an Italian Alpine Area |
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| Authors: | Federica E Pisa Fabio Barbone Alberto Betta Mauro Bonomi Barbara Alessandrini Massimo Bovenzi |
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| Institution: | 1. Cattedra di Igiene, DPMSC , University of Udine , Udine, Italy;2. Occupational Health Unit , Center for Environmental Radiation;3. Center for Environmental Radiation, National Health Service, Autonomous Province of Trento , Trento, Italy;4. Institute of Occupational Medicine, Trieste General Hospitals, University of Trieste , Trieste, Italy |
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| Abstract: | To evaluate whether residential radon exposure explains the excess mortality for lung cancer in an Italian alpine valley with high natural radioactivity, the authors conducted a population-based case-control study on 138 deceased cases and 291 sex- and year-of-birth-matched controls. Year-long alpha-track measurements of radon were performed in the most recent residence, and information about occupational history and lifetime smoking habits was obtained. The authors adjusted for smoking, and radon was associated with lung cancer risk among men: compared with a radon level of < 40 becquerels (Bq) per cubic meter (m3), the odds ratios for 40–76 Bq/m3, 77–139 Bq/m3, 140–199 Bq/m3, and 200+ Bq/m3 were 2.1, 2.0, 2.7, and 1.4, respectively. The association between radon and lung cancer, as determined with a multiplicative model, was found only among male smokers. |
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| Keywords: | case-control studies epidemiology lung cancer radon |
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