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FW: RADSAFE digest 3467
Somehow a typo got introduced into the ASCII version of the Field and Neuberger
letter "Radon and Breast Cancer.
-----Original Message-----
Date: Sat, 14 Oct 2000 10:36:39 GMT
From: "Bjorn Cedervall" <bcradsafers@hotmail.com>
To: radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu
Subject: Bras, breast cancer & radon ( epidemiology study questioned)
Bill Field (Iowa) has kindly provided me (and allowed me to post) the
following below. Obviously the original paper was published a few years
later than I thought (that is in 1996).
<snip>
------------------------------------
Radon and Breast Cancer
Risk Analysis 1997;16:729-730
<snip>
In order to determine the association between radon levels and breast cancer
incidence, we examined data from Iowa, a state with the highest mean radon
screening level and the highest percentage of homes in the U.S. with radon
screening measurements exceeding the EPA guideline of 148 Bq/ml (4 pCi/L).
<snip>
First, it seems likely that the EPA picked 4 pCi/L out of the air as the radon
action guideline, rather than 148 Bq per whatever.
Secondly, the "whatever": The correct conversion is 4 pCi/L = 148
Bq/cubicmeter.
148 Bq/mL is off by a factor of a mere million.
The original Field and Neuberger letter has the correct conversion. Another
good reason to use SI units.
Best regards.
Jim Dukelow
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Richland, WA
jim.dukelow@pnl.gov
These comments are mine and have not been reviewed and/or approved by my
management or by the U.S. Department of Energy.
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