Radon vs. LNT - the Chase

[FIELDRW@aol.com]

Michael,

The "chase" for this thread focuses on whether or not ecologic studies can be 
used to test the validity of the LNT.  If you have an opinion on that focus, 
I would love to hear it. Please email me directly.

Obviously, cigarette smoking is the major cause of lung cancer.  Lung cancer 
is the leading cause of cancer mortality in men and women in the U.S.  
Approximately, 160,000 deaths from this disease are projected to occur in 
1999.  Five year survival rates average 14% for all stages.   My recent 
research focus has been examining the risk factors (smoking, diet, 
occupation, etc.) for lung cancer including a focus on improving the risk 
estimates for residential radon exposure.  Lung cancer is indeed a dreadful 
disease.  I have met hundreds of people who had lung cancer, although most of 
them are dead now (50% one-year survival rate).  I spend many hours per month 
volunteering in outreach efforts presenting the risks of tobacco products.  
Most environmental hazards pale in comparison to the adverse effects caused 
by smoking.  But, as Health Physicist, we should also be concerned both about 
radon progeny and tobacco products, because of the radiation dose they 
deliver.  We should also be concerned about whether or not radon exposure is 
a significant health risk.  If the extrapolations from miners are correct, 
the deaths from 19,000 people each year are not insignificant.  Additional 
research is needed to assess the validity of the miner studies.  Can ecologic 
studies improve these risk estimates?  As Dr. Cohen has stated, ecologic 
studies cannot be used to determine the risk posed by residential radon 
exposure.  

I would urge all the members of this listserv to talk about the hazards of 
smoking.  The unique perspective we can give regarding the radiation exposure 
from smoking is pretty persuasive.  

Regards, Bill Field

Bill Field
College of Public Health
University of Iowa
bill-field@uiowa.edu
************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html