[ RadSafe ] Diesel exhaust and underground mining vs other factorsfor lun...

[Steven Dapra]

March 4

         Yeah, I got a little carried away with my arithmetic.

"More people die from lung cancer than any other 
type of cancer. In the United States in 2007,* 
203,536 people were diagnosed with lung cancer, 
and 158,683 people died from it. † CDC has a 
number of programs for preventing and controlling lung cancer.

"*Latest year for which statistics are available. 
†Source: <http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/uscs/>USCS."

         USCS is United States Cancer Statistics, maintained by the CDC.  Link:

http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/uscs/

         Also:

"In the United States, about 90% of lung cancer 
deaths in men and almost 80% of lung cancer 
deaths in women are due to smoking. Smokers are 
10 to 20 times more likely to get lung cancer."

         Both quotes are from this link:

http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/lung/

Steven Dapra


At 06:44 AM 3/4/2012, you wrote:
>The lung cancer incidence in the US is about 160,000. Of these lung cancers
>  about 140,000 are due to smoking and another 20,000 due to radon. Radon is
>the  second leading cause of lung cancer.
>
>Andy George
>
>
>In a message dated 3/3/2012 12:12:27 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
>sjd at swcp.com writes:
>
>March  2
>
>To answer my own uncertainty, "In  the United States, smoking
>is estimated to account for 87% of lung cancer  cases (90% in men and
>85% in women)."
>
>Eighty seven percent of 450,000 is 391,500 lung cancer
>deaths  per year from smoking.
>
>The estimate  quote is from Wikipedia and is sourced (fn.  23).
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lung_cancer#cite_note-Samet2-22
>
>Steven  Dapra
>
>
>At 09:53 PM 3/2/2012, you wrote:
> >March  2
> >
> >         The dispute is not over  whether or not radon causes
> > cancer.  The dispute is over how  much cancer is caused by
> > radon.  The EPA estimated (in 2003)  that radon causes about 21,000
> > lung cancer deaths per year.   This estimate was based on BEIR  VI.
> >
> >http://www.epa.gov/radon/risk_assessment.html
> >
> >   The annual death toll from cigarette smoking is  around
> > 450,000.  (How much of that is lung cancers I do not  know.)
> >
> >         I am eagerly awaiting  the JNCI paper, which will be
> > available on the afternoon of Monday,  March 5.
> >
> >Steven Dapra
> >
> >
> >
> >At 03:15  PM 3/2/2012, you wrote:
> >>Hi, Patricia.
> >>
> >>I  think you are overselling that part of a sentence.  While I  haven't
> >>seen the article, I suspect what they mean is that even  when the other
> >>factors are controlled statistically, risk of dying  of lung cancer
> >>increases as REC exposure increase.  This does  not mean that researchers
> >>are saying that silica, asbestos,  non-diesel exhaust-related  polycyclic
> >>aromatic
> >>hydrocarbons, respirable dust, and  radon do not cause cancer, but rather
> >>their results are not  explained by those other cancer causing agents.
> >>
> >>If you  did a little bit of research on your source, you would find  that
> >>Journal of the National Cancer Institute, in which this paper  will
> >>appear, has over 200 papers, articles, and editorials which  mention
> >>radon (though most are not about radon), and a quick  perusal shows
> >>almost all agree that radon can cause cancer, though  there is discussion
> >>about the numbers.  The International  Agency for Research on Cancer,
> >>cited as the agency that classified  diesel exhaust as a probable
> >>carcinogen, also classifies radon as a  carcinogen.
> >>
> >>I suspect that when you read this entire  article, it will not in fact
> >>support your  position.
> >>
> >>-----Original Message-----
> >>From:  radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
> >>[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu]  On Behalf Of patricia lewis
> >>Sent: Friday, March 02, 2012 11:50  AM
> >>To: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
> >>Cc: Edward Calabrese;  patricia lewis; Jerry Cuttler; Doug Boreham;  TD
> >>Luckey
> >>Subject: [ RadSafe ] Diesel exhaust and  underground mining vs other
> >>factorsfor lung  cancer
> >>
> >>http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-03/jotn-sse030212.php
> >>
> >>Studies  show exposure to diesel exhaust may increase lung  cancer
> >>mortality
> >>(all author contact info is within the  article)
> >>
> >>SNIP: "The researchers found a statistically  significantly increased
> >>risk
> >>of lung cancer with  increasing REC exposure among underground  workers.
> >>Some
> >>evidence of increased risk was also shown  for longer-term workers above
> >>ground who were exposed to elevated  levels of REC (Respirable Elemental
> >>Carbon - a surrogate of diesel  exhaust exposure). Other workplace
> >>exposures
> >>such as  silica, asbestos, non-diesel exhaust-related polycyclic  aromatic
> >>hydrocarbons, respirable dust, and radon, had little or no  effect on the
> >>findings."  Repeat: ".... and radon, had little  or no effect on
> >>findings."
> >>
> >>--
> >>Pat  Lewis
> >>http://www.radonmine.com
>