Re: Iowa Radon Lung Cancer Study

["ruth_weiner" <ruth_weiner@email.msn.com>]

This is a real question, and not an attempt to bait anyone:  how does the
risk of cancer from radon exposure, as elucidated by the Iowa study, compare
with the risk of cancer from two other ubiquitous sources:(1) UV exposure
from sunlight and (2) cosmic ray exposure from commercial air travel?

I would also propose the UV exposure as a candidate for the hormesis
argument: people need a little bit of UV exposure to prevent vitamin D
deficiency, but an excessive amount is very thoroughly associated with basal
cell and squamous cell skin cancers.

Ruth Weiner
ruth_weiner@msn.com
-----Original Message-----
From: EPIRAD@aol.com <EPIRAD@aol.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
Date: Friday, June 23, 2000 10:20 PM
Subject: Iowa Radon Lung Cancer Study


>
>radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu
>In a message dated 00-06-23 10:09:12 EDT, Mr. BORGER wrote:
>
>In my rather naive understanding of the "Hill Criteria," I read,
>
>  "The first Hill criterion is the strength of the association between
>exposure and risk.
>  A strong association is one with a relative risk (RR) of 5 or more.
>Tobacco smoking,
>  for example, shows a strong association, with a RR for lung cancer 10-30
>times that
>  of non-smokers. A RR of less than about 3 indicates a weak association.
>  A RR below about 1.5 is nearly meaningless unless it is supported by
>other data. "
>
>  By my application, this indicates a weak to meaningless correlation for
>the highest
>  exposure group in the state with the highest exposure in the nation.
>
>  So I pose this question. How can one posutlate a STRONG correlation
between
>  Radon and Lung Cancer.
>
>Perhaps we're dealing with wordsmithing akin to that done by our
>illustrious President? "It depends on what you mean by 'strong'"
>
>---------------------------------------------
>Response from Bill Field
>
>Perhaps we are dealing with interpretation building on misinterpretation of
>published statements.
>
>It is my guess Mr. Borger read Mr. Brook's previous posting and assumed Mr.
>Brook's statement was correct concerning our use of the word "strong".  Mr.
>Brooks had numerous misinterpretations of the AJE paper and made several
>erroneous statements.
>
>We stated, "Analyses restricted to the 283 live cases and 614 live controls
>noted both a strong categorical (p = 0.01) and continuous trend (p =
>0.03).  The fifth exposure category was also statistically significant (OR=
>2.14; 95 percent confidence interval 1.12 - 4.15)."
>
>It should be obvious from this statement that we were talking about the
>trend when we used the word "strong", not the odds ratios (relative risk).
>Mr. Brooks and Mr. Borger apparently failed to understand the difference.
>We did NOT say (as apparent from reading the quote above) the fifth
exposure
>category found a
>strong association.
>
>I maintain that our findings indicate residential radon exposure poses a
>significant risk for lung cancer.  I have been quoted in many newspapers
>and talks as saying that the risk posed by residential radon exposure pales
>in comparison to the risk posed by cigarette smoking (for example, see
>http://www.cancer.org June 21 story).  The risk posed by most carcinogens
>pale in comparison to the risk posed by smoking. That is why I spend much
>of my volunteer time in activities related to smoking cessation.
>Nonetheless,
>our findings indicate residential radon exposure is an important
>environmental
>risk factor for lung cancer that should not be ignored.
>
>Regards, Bill Field
>
>*******************************************
>
>R. William Field, Ph.D.
>College of Public Health
>Department of Epidemiology
>N222 Oakdale Hall
>University of Iowa
>Iowa City, Iowa 52242
>
>319-335-4413 (voice)
>319-335-4748 (fax)
>
>mailto:bill-field@uiowa.edu
>
>Iowa Radon Lung Cancer Study
>findings:  http://www.cheec.uiowa.edu/misc/radon.html
>
>U.S. EPA View of the Iowa Radon Lung Cancer Study
>http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/
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