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Re: Radon and Smoking
Kai, We previously showed (Smith et al. 1998 and elsewhere:
http://www.lww.com/health_physics/0017-90789-99ltrs.html) that when
Cohen's adjusted smoking percentages for males and females were regressed
on radon levels, significant (p < 0.00001) negative
associations between smoking and radon were noted for both males and
females. Remember, Dr. Cohen's correlations are at the county aggregate
level. We have performed numerous studies looking at current
smoking and radon for individuals and did not find any correlation
whatsoever. This include not finding a correlation between
current smoking and radon in the Iowa Radon Lung Cancer Study. So
in this particular case, the ecologic finding does not equal the
individual level finding.
Regards. Bill Field
At 10:01 AM 02/12/2002 -0500, you wrote:
On Tue, 12 Feb 2002, Kai Kaletsch
wrote:
> If radon measurements for cases in a case-control study are made
after the
> case quits smoking or when only non-smoking relatives are living in
the
> residence, then the radon exposure assessment would overestimate the
actual
> historical radon exposure of the smoking cases. If we subtracted 10%
from
> the geometric mean radon concentration of the cases (almost all
ever
> smokers) in the Iowa study, the difference between cases and
controls would
> be eliminated.
--An
interesting point. In most situations, once a lung cancer has
been experienced, the smoking stops.
> Dr Cohen:
>
> Do you have any data which would indicate if the smoking-radon
association
> is causal or not? For example, is the radon concentration in
ex-smokers
> houses similar to that in smokers homes or to that in non-smokers
homes?
--The only
data I have is the number of cigarettes smoked per day
in the house.These data are in Tables 2 & 3 of my paper in Health
Physics
60:631-642;1991
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