RE: radon - documentation of exposure histories for Iowa study

["Rad health" <healthrad@HOTMAIL.COM>]

The methods used in the Iowa study are considered state-of-the-art by most 

people.  When the subjects spent 75% of their time indoors and the radon by 

floor was matched to mobility you have very good exposure assessment.  My 

language is science, not ideology.



Don Nelson







>From: "Jim Muckerheide" <jmuckerheide@cnts.wpi.edu>

>To: "Rad health" <healthrad@HOTMAIL.COM>, <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>

>Subject: RE: radon - documentation of exposure histories for Iowa study

>Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 21:57:09 -0500

>

>Ray is an HP. Philippe is a research scientist. Maybe English is not

>your native language, but you misrepreseent what I say and you guys seem

>to be the only people on the planet that consider measurement in a house

>to represent the actual dose to the lungs of a real person. It isn't,

>and it makes a difference.

>

>Regards, Jim

>=========

>

>	-----Original Message-----

>	From: Rad health

>	Sent: Tue 15-Jan-02 1:13 PM

>	To: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

>	Cc:

>	Subject: radon - documentation of exposure histories for Iowa

>study

>

>

>

>	Jim Muckerheide,

>

>	Ray Johnson may not be an epidemiologist, but the point was that

>Ray knows a

>	few things about radon exposure assessment.  As far as Phillipe

>Dupont, he

>	is a frequent poster of emails on your Radiation and Science

>listserv and an

>	known anti LNT proponent.

>

>	If the Iowa study did not find an association, then they may

>have said the

>	power was insufficient to detect an association as is likely the

>case in

>	many studies with poor exposure ascertainment.  But, the Iowa

>study did find

>	an association so therefore the sample size was of sufficient

>power to

>	detect an association.

>

>	I saw your "explanation" given to Les.  It was nonsensical to me

>as it

>	apparently was to Les.  As far as your misrepresentations, I am

>not sure

>	where to start.  The latest item you have tried to mislead

>people with is

>	that the Iowa Study did not obtain individual exposure histories

>for each

>	subject. Your insistence is that because someone lives in Iowa,

>that have to

>	be exposed to high radon levels.  As Les, pointed out.  In the

>Iowa study

>	half, the people in the study were exposed to less than 4 pCi/L

>(average

>	15--year exposure).  Their exposure data was log normally

>distributed (that

>	means they had a lot of data for lower exposed individuals).

>

>	The Iowa study did an incredible job documenting individual

>exposure

>	including many supporting papers as Les has pointed out to me.

>On one hand

>	we have your misrepresentation and on the other hand we have

>these detailed

>	papers below laying out how they accounted for radon exposure.

>

>	------------------------------------------

>	Citation: Field RW, Smith BJ, Brus CP, Lynch CF, Neuberger JS,

>Steck DJ,

>	Retrospective temporal and spatial mobility of adult Iowa

>women., Risk Anal

>	18: 5, 575-84, Oct, 1998.

>

>

>	Abstract

>	Human exposure assessments require a linkage between toxicant

>concentrations

>	in occupied spaces and the receptor's mobility pattern.

>Databases reporting

>	distinct populations' mobility in various parts of the home,

>time outside

>	the home, and time in another building are scarce. Temporal

>longitudinal

>	trends in these mobility patterns for specific age and gender

>groups are

>	nonexistent. This paper describes subgroup trends in the spatial

>and

>	temporal mobility patterns within the home, outside the home,

>and in another

>	building for 619 Iowa females that occupied the same home for at

>least 20

>	years. The study found that the mean time spent at home for the

>participants

>	ranged from a low of 69.4% for the 50-59 year age group to a

>high of 81.6%

>	for the over 80-year-old age group. Participants who lived in

>either one- or

>	two- story homes with basements spent the majority of their

>residential

>	occupancy on the first story. Trends across age varied for other

>subgroups

>	by number of children, education, and urban/rural status. Since

>all of these

>	trends were nonlinear, they indicate that error exists when

>assuming a

>	constant, such as a 75% home occupancy factor, which has been

>advocated by

>	some researchers and agencies. In addition, while aggregate

>data, such as

>	presented in this report, are more helpful in deriving risk

>estimates for

>	population subgroups, they cannot supplant good individual-level

>data for

>	determining risks.

>

>	------------------------------------------------------------

>

>	Medline ID: 21270976

>

>	Citation: Field RW, Steck DJ, Smith BJ, Brus CP, Fisher EF,

>Neuberger JS,

>	Lynch CF, The Iowa radon lung cancer study--phase I: Residential

>radon gas

>	exposure and lung cancer., Sci Total Environ 272: 1-3, 67-72,

>May14, 2001.

>

>	Abstract

>	Exposure to high concentrations of radon (222Rn) progeny

>produces lung

>	cancer in both underground miners and experimentally-exposed

>laboratory

>	animals. The goal of the study was to determine whether or not

>residential

>	radon exposure exhibits a statistically significant association

>with lung

>	cancer in a state with high residential radon concentrations. A

>	population-based, case-control epidemiologic study was conducted

>examining

>	the relationship between residential radon gas exposure and lung

>cancer in

>	Iowa females who occupied their current home for at least 20

>years. The

>	study included 413 incident lung cancer cases and 614

>age-frequency-matched

>	controls. Participant information was obtained by a mailed-out

>questionnaire

>	with face-to-face follow-up. Radon dosimetry assessment

>consisted of five

>	components: (1) on-site residential assessment survey; (2)

>on-site radon

>	measurements; (3) regional outdoor radon measurements; (4)

>assessment of

>	subjects' exposure when in another building; and (5) linkage of

>historic

>	subject mobility with residential, outdoor, and other building

>radon

>	concentrations. Histologic review was performed for 96% of the

>cases.

>	Approximately 60% of the basement radon concentrations and 30%

>of the first

>	floor radon concentrations of study participants' homes exceeded

>the US

>	Environmental Protection Agency action level of 150 Bq m(-3) (4

>pCi l(-1)).

>	Large areas of western Iowa had outdoor radon concentrations

>comparable to

>	the national average indoor value of 55 Bq m(-3) (1.5 pCi

>l(-1)). Excess

>	odds of 0.24 (95% CI = -0.05-0.92) and 0.49 (95% CI = 0.03-1.84)

>per 11

>	WLM(5-19) were calculated using the continuous radon exposure

>estimates for

>	all cases and live cases, respectively. Slightly higher excess

>odds of 0.50

>	(95% CI = 0.004-1.80) and 0.83 (CI = 0.11-3.34) per 11 WLM(5-19)

>were noted

>	for the categorical radon exposure estimates for all cases and

>the live

>	cases. A positive association between cumulative radon gas

>exposure and lung

>	cancer was demonstrated using both categorical and continuous

>analyses. The

>	risk estimates obtained in this study indicate that cumulative

>radon

>	exposure presents an important environmental health hazard.

>

>	----------------------------------------------------------------

>	  Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 107, Number 11,

>November 1999

>

>

>	Intercomparison of Retrospective Radon Detectors

>	R. William Field,1 Daniel J. Steck,2 Mary Ann Parkhurst,3 Judy

>A. Mahaffey,3

>	and Michael C.R. Alavanja4

>

>	1Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health,

>University of Iowa,

>	Iowa City, Iowa, USA

>	2Physics Department, St. John's University, Collegeville,

>Minnesota, USA

>	3Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington,

>USA

>	4National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

>

>

>	Abstract

>	We performed both a laboratory and a field intercomparison of

>two novel

>	glass-based retrospective radon detectors previously used in

>major radon

>	case-control studies performed in Missouri and Iowa. The new

>detectors

>	estimate retrospective residential radon exposure from the

>accumulation of a

>	long-lived radon decay product, 210Pb, in glass. The detectors

>use track

>	registration material in direct contact with glass surfaces to

>measure the

>	-emission of a 210Pb-decay product, 210Po. The detector's track

>density

>	generation rate (tracks per square centimeter per hour) is

>proportional to

>	the surface -activity. In the absence of other strong sources of

>-emission

>	in the glass, the implanted surface -activity should be

>proportional to the

>	accumulated 210Po, and hence to the cumulative radon gas

>exposure. The goals

>	of the intercomparison were to a) perform collocated

>measurements using two

>	different glass-based retrospective radon detectors in a

>controlled

>	laboratory environment to compare their relative response to

>implanted

>	polonium in the absence of environmental variation, b) perform

>collocated

>	measurements using two different retrospective radon progeny

>detectors in a

>	variety of residential settings to compare their detection of

>	glass-implanted polonium activities, and c) examine the

>correlation between

>	track density rates and contemporary radon gas concentrations.

>The

>	laboratory results suggested that the materials and methods used

>by the

>	studies produced similar track densities in detectors exposed to

>the same

>	implanted 210Po activity. The field phase of the intercomparison

>found

>	excellent agreement between the track density rates for the two

>types of

>	retrospective detectors. The correlation between the track

>density rates and

>	direct contemporary radon concentration measurements was

>relatively high,

>	considering that no adjustments were performed to account for

>either the

>	residential depositional environment or glass surface type.

>Preliminary

>	comparisons of the models used to translate track rate densities

>to average

>	long-term radon concentrations differ between the two studies.

>Further

>	calibration of the retrospective detectors' models for

>interpretation of

>	track rate density may allow the pooling of studies that use

>glass-based

>	retrospective radon detectors to determine historic residential

>radon

>	exposures. Key words: case-control studies, dose-response

>relationship

>	(radiation), epidemiologic methods, epidemiologic studies, lung

>neoplasms,

>	radon, radon progeny, smoking. Environ Health Perspect

>107:905-910 (1999).

>	[Online 15 October 1999]

>

>http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/1999/107p905-910field/abstract.html

>	Address correspondence to R.W. Field, College of Public Health,

>Department

>	of Epidemiology, N222 Oakdale Hall, University of Iowa, Iowa

>City, IA 52242

>	USA. Telephone: (319) 335-4413. Fax: (319) 335-4747. E-mail:

>	bill-field@uiowa.edu

>	We thank J. Huber, C. Greaves, G. Buckner, J. Jesse, and E.

>Berger for their

>	assistance with data collection. We also thank C. Lynch and J.

>Lubin for

>	their reviews of previous versions of this manuscript.

>

>	NCI contract 263-MQ-820009 and NIEHS grant P30 ESO5605 supported

>this

>	research. This report is solely the responsibility of the

>authors and does

>	not necessarily reflect the official views of the NCI, NIEHS, or

>NIH.

>

>	----------------------------------------------------------------

>	Medline ID: 99122934

>

>	Citation: Steck DJ, Field RW, Lynch CF, Exposure to atmospheric

>radon.,

>	Environ Health Perspect 107: 2, 123-7, Feb, 1999.

>	Address: Department of Physics

>

>	Abstract

>	We measured radon (222Rn) concentrations in Iowa and Minnesota

>and found

>	that unusually high annual average radon concentrations occur

>outdoors in

>	portions of central North America. In some areas, outdoor

>concentrations

>	exceed the national average indoor radon concentration. The

>general spatial

>	patterns of outdoor radon and indoor radon are similar to the

>spatial

>	distribution of radon progeny in the soil. Outdoor radon

>exposure in this

>	region can be a substantial fraction of an individual's total

>radon exposure

>	and is highly variable across the population. Estimated lifetime

>effective

>	dose equivalents for the women participants in a radon-related

>lung cancer

>	study varied by a factor of two at the median dose, 8 mSv, and

>ranged up to

>	60 mSv (6 rem). Failure to include these doses can reduce the

>statistical

>	power of epidemiologic studies that examine the lung cancer risk

>associated

>	with residential radon exposure.

>	-----------------------------------

>

>	Medline ID: 99005221

>	Citation: Fisher EL, Field RW, Smith BJ, Lynch CF, Steck DJ,

>Neuberger JS,

>	Spatial variation of residential radon concentrations: the Iowa

>Radon Lung

>	Cancer Study., Health Phys 75: 5, 506-13, Nov, 1998.

>

>	Abstract

>	Homeowners and researchers frequently estimate the radon

>concentrations in

>	various areas of the home from a single radon measurement often

>performed in

>	the home's basement. This study describes the spatial variation

>of radon

>	concentrations both between floors and between rooms on the same

>floor. The

>	geometric mean basement and first floor radon concentrations for

>one-story

>	homes were 13.8% and 9.0% higher, respectively, as compared to

>their

>	counterparts in two-story homes. The median first floor/basement

>ratio of

>	radon concentrations for one-story homes was 0.60. The median

>ratios between

>	first floor/basement and second floor/basement for two-story

>homes were 0.51

>	and 0.62, respectively. The mean coefficient of variation for

>detectors

>	placed on the same floor was 9.5%, which was only 2.6% higher

>than the mean

>	coefficient of variation found for collocated (duplicate)

>quality control

>	detectors. The wide individual variations noted in radon

>concentrations

>	serve as a reminder of the importance of performing multiple

>radon

>	measurements in various parts of the home when estimating home

>radon

>	concentrations.

>

>	-------------------------------------------------------

>	Field, R.W., Lynch, C.F., Steck, D.J. and Fisher, E.F..

>Dosimetry Quality

>	assurance: the Iowa residential radon lung cancer study.

>Radiation

>	Protection Dosimetry. 78(4): 295-303, 1998

>

>	-----------------------------------------------

>	Medline ID: 96384408

>	Citation: Field RW, Steck DJ, Lynch CF, Brus CP, Neuberger JS,

>Kross BC,

>	Residential radon-222 exposure and lung cancer: exposure

>assessment

>	methodology., J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol 6: 2, 181-95,

>Apr-Jun, 1996.

>

>	Abstract

>	Although occupational epidemiological studies and animal

>experimentation

>	provide strong evidence that radon-222 (222Rn) progeny exposure

>causes lung

>	cancer, residential epidemiological studies have not confirmed

>this

>	association. Past residential epidemiological studies have

>yielded

>	contradictory findings. Exposure misclassification has seriously

>compromised

>	the ability of these studies to detect whether an association

>exists between

>	222Rn exposure and lung cancer. Misclassification of 222Rn

>exposure has

>	arisen primarily from: 1) detector measurement error; 2) failure

>to consider

>	temporal and spatial 222Rn variations within a home; 3) missing

>data from

>	previously occupied homes that currently are inaccessible; 4)

>failure to

>	link 222Rn concentrations with subject mobility; and 5)

>measuring 222Rn gas

>	concentration as a surrogate for 222Rn progeny exposure. This

>paper examines

>	these methodological dosimetry problems and addresses how we are

>accounting

>	for them in an ongoing, population-based, case-control study of

>222Rn and

>	lung cancer in Iowa.

>

>	--------------------------------------------

>

>	Medline ID: 20329535

>	Citation: Field RW, Steck DJ, Smith BJ, Brus CP, Fisher EL,

>Neuberger JS,

>	Platz CE, Robinson RA, Woolson RF, Lynch CF, Residential radon

>gas exposure

>	and lung cancer: the Iowa Radon Lung Cancer Study., Am J

>Epidemiol 151: 11,

>	1091-102, Jun1, 2000.

>

>	Abstract

>	Exposure to high concentrations of radon progeny (radon)

>produces lung

>	cancer in both underground miners and experimentally exposed

>laboratory

>	animals. To determine the risk posed by residential radon

>exposure, the

>	authors performed a population-based, case-control epidemiologic

>study in

>	Iowa from 1993 to 1997. Subjects were female Iowa residents who

>had occupied

>	their current home for at least 20 years. A total of 413 lung

>cancer cases

>	and 614 age-frequency-matched controls were included in the

>final analysis.

>	Excess odds were calculated per 11 working-level months for

>exposures that

>	occurred 5-19 years (WLM(5-19)) prior to diagnosis for cases or

>prior to

>	time of interview for controls. Eleven WLM(5-19) is

>approximately equal to

>	an average residential radon exposure of 4 pCl/liter (148 Bq/m3)

>during this

>	period. After adjustment for age, smoking, and education, the

>authors found

>	excess odds of 0.50 (95% confidence interval: 0.004, 1.81) and

>0.83 (95%

>	percent confidence interval: 0.11, 3.34) using categorical radon

>exposure

>	estimates for all cases and for live cases, respectively.

>Slightly lower

>	excess odds of 0.24 (95 percent confidence interval: -0.05,

>0.92) and 0.49

>	(95 percent confidence interval: 0.03, 1.84) per 11 WLM(5-19)

>were noted for

>	continuous radon exposure estimates for all subjects and live

>subjects only.

>	The observed risk estimates suggest that cumulative ambient

>radon exposure

>	presents an important environmental health hazard.

>

>	Don Smith

>

>

>

>	----------------------------------------------

>	>From: "Jim Muckerheide" <jmuckerheide@cnts.wpi.edu>

>	>To: "Rad health" <healthrad@hotmail.com>,

><lescrable@hotmail.com>,

>	><jkotton@usgs.gov>

>	>CC: <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>

>	>Subject: RE: radon - and tackling the issues

>	>Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 04:11:47 -0500

>	>

>	You haven't read, or perhaps understood, the problem. See the

>	explanation provided to Les. If you think something is

>"misleading," let me

>	know. It's just my take on the failure of radon case-control

>studies.

>

>	And why Iowa is the worst place, despite Field's efforts to

>relate a

>	lifetime of radon exposure to house measurements. It just can't

>work,

>	and the study is too small to produce a credible, replicable

>result.

>

>	Ray's a great guy, but his forte is HP training, and

>communication. If

>	you want an expert on radon health effects try Philippe Duport

>at U

>	Ottawa, with 40 years originally focused on the French miners

>and the

>	industry, then to Canada, as a regulator, and nor at the

>university. No

>	adverse radon effects at low-dose, low dose-rate, at much higher

>than

>

>

>

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