[ RadSafe ] ODP: Residential radon and lung cancer suppression

Mon Jan 3 15:43:29 CST 2011

Oh dear.

Recent views from ICRP and others is causing people to re-think how
collective dose is used. We have seen over the years how the concept of
collective dose has been misused and I am afraid this could be an example of
it. The data that we have in the health physics field has been very well
studied and from it risks to individuals from those radiation doses
assessed. We need to use this data carefully.

However, collective doses are a way of estimating total societal harm from a
particular practice/operation. Where it is necessary to compare various ways
of controlling these doses then the use of collective dose is helpful and
gives a quantitative approach. Unfortunately collective dose has been used
to try and 'extrapolate' the harmful effects of a collective dose to impacts
to a population. This has led people to get the small doses from say
discharges and then multiply this very small dose by a very large population
and end up with a large collective dose. To give this number even more
impact they then multiply these collective doses by death per unit dose and
then calculate the total number of deaths from this collective dose. This
has led to the headlines of X deaths from reactor discharges. This is a
distortion of  how collective dose was intended to be used.

Now that is not the case here but the overall process is similar and it is
how I believe the 21,000 estimated deaths is arrived at. So instead of using
collective doses to help compare various dose reduction options such as
ventilation, barriers etc. we have headlines of 21,000 deaths. Whilst I am
in favour of people  taking action to deal with high radon levels,
especially as the treatments can be relatively inexpensive and effective I
am not sure that we advance the argument by using such headlines.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cary Renquist" <cary.renquist at ezag.com>
To: "The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) MailingList"
<radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>; "Scott, Bobby" <BScott at lrri.org>
Cc: "Bernard L. Cohen" <blc at pitt.edu>; "Thompson, Richard"
<rthompso at jhsph.edu>; "Jerry Cuttler" <jerrycuttler at rogers.com>
Sent: Monday, January 03, 2011 7:36 PM
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] ODP: Residential radon and lung cancer suppression

Perhaps somebody should tell the EPA...
Federal Radon Summit | Radon | US EPA
  http://j.mp/fpUFKV

EPA has designated January as National Radon Action Month.  Learn more about
the national effort to take action against radon.

EPA: 21,000 deaths a year from radon

This is National Radon Action Month, and nine federal agencies are joining
on actions to help Americans reduce their exposure to the invisible,
odorless and naturally occurring radiation threat. Those agencies are EPA,
General Services Administration, and the Depts. of Agriculture, Energy,
Health and Human Services, Defense, Housing and Urban Development, Interior
and Veterans Affairs.

The Environmental Protection Agency said radon is a "serious public health
threat" that leads to more than 21,000 deaths annually in the U.S. According
to EPA, one in 15 American homes contains high levels of radon but simple
actions can be taken to monitor the risk and fix the problem if there is
one.

---
Cary Renquist
cary.renquist at ezag.com

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Dobrzynski Ludwik
Sent: Monday, 27 December 2010 01:24
To: Scott, Bobby; radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
Cc: Bernard L. Cohen; Thompson, Richard; Jerry Cuttler
Subject: [ RadSafe ] ODP: Residential radon and lung cancer suppression

Dear Bobby,
Thanks for this mail. We have submitted more than 6 months ago a paper on
radon problem to Health Physics. It seems that after some minor corrections
the paper will be finally published. In short, it shows that basing on
present data there is no reason to apply any linear dose-effect relationship
up to the radon concentration 150 Bq/m3.
With the best regards,
Ludwik

________________________________

Od: Scott, Bobby [mailto:BScott at lrri.org]
Wysłano: N 2010-12-26 22:11
Do: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
DW: Thompson, Richard; Bernard L. Cohen; Jerry Cuttler; Dobrzynski Ludwik
Temat: Residential radon and lung cancer suppression

Hi all:

I thought some of you may like to know about the following paper:

Thompson RE. Epidemiological evidence for possible radiation hormesis from
radon exposure: A case-control study conducted in Worcester, MA.
Dose-Response (prepress version).

The paper by Dr. Richard Thompson of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of
Public Health relates to a case-control study of lung cancer and residential
radon exposure conducted in Worcester County, Massachusetts. Lung cancer
risk (inferred from odds ratio) was estimated using different conditional
logistic regression models that controlled for demographic, smoking, and
occupational exposure covariates. An initial analysis using lowess smoothing
of the response variable revealed a non-linear hormetic-type association
between the log odds of lung cancer and radon exposure in the home. Results
from application of several models that allow for a hormetic-type dose
response implicated a possible > 2-fold increase in lung cancer risk for
residing in a radon-free home as compared to the current level of radon for
up to 250 Bq/cubic meter. Depending on the model used, the increase in lung
cancer risk with radon elimination could be > 3 fold.  Radon levels
significantly > 250 Bq/cubic meter were implicated as increasing lung cancer
risk.  Smoking was strongly associated with lung cancer. Only 15 out of 200
lung cancer cases in the study were never smokers.

Best wishes,

Bobby R. Scott

Senior Scientist

Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute

2425 Ridgecrest Drive SE

Albuquerque, NM 87108 USA

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