Re: Deaths from radon in U.S.

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

Ruth,



I agree, you really need to get past the executive summary.  I merely 

provided a reference for the numbers I used.



There have been lower exposure studies of miners that demonstrate the same 

risk.  These studies require little extrapolation down to those exposures 

noted in many homes.



See reference here:

http://www.ntp.org.uk/951-TUD.pdf



Also, it would help to understand their basis for not using a threshold.  

They gave some justification to it in the text.



The reason the analytical residential radon case-control studies are 

important is because they do NOT require a LNT assumption.



Don Smith



>From: RuthWeiner@aol.com

>To: healthrad@hotmail.com, radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

>Subject: Re: Deaths from radon in U.S.

>Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2002 21:43:40 EST

>

>Now, admittedly, I have not read the BEIR VI Executive Summary carefully, 

>and

>it has the weaknesses of all executive summaries, but I gleaned the 

>following

>points:

>

>1.  The only direct epidemiological study it is based on is an extensive

>study of miners.

>2.  The miner data is supplemented by animal exposure data.

>3.  Other human epidemiological data is from a "meta-analysis" of eight

>studies loosely described as having included smokers and non-smokers.

>4.  The synergism between smoking and MINERS' radon exposure is 

>acknowledged.

>5.  (I saved this for last!)  The model uses (and here I quote) "a linear

>extrapolation from high doses to low doses."

>

>So maybe the resulting model predicts 18,600 cancer deaths.  I would 

>imagine

>it has at least the average strengths and weaknesses of any model, the main

>weakness being extrapolation (I am biting my keyboard to keep from writing

>what I really would like to call this).  maybe it doesn't even include

>wishful thinking.  However, such a model prediction is a very different 

>thing

>from the flat statement that "18,600 cancer deaths are due to radon."

>

>"Science is wonderful.  It yields a huge return of conjecture for a tiny

>investment of fact."  --- Mark Twain

>

>Ruth Weiner, Ph. D.

>ruthweiner@aol.com





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