Precautionary Principle Applied to Lung Cancer Risk Caused by Residential Radon

[epirad@mchsi.com]

An interesting French Perspective.



Rev Epidemiol Sante Publique 2002 Apr;50(2):147-57	



The precautionary principle applied to lung cancer risk 

caused by residential radon



De Brouwer C, Lagasse R.



Ecole de Sante Publique, CP593, Universite Libre de 

Bruxelles, 808, route de Lennik, B-1070 Bruxelles 

(Belgique). 



Residential radon seems to represent a major health 

hazard. The studies, which investigate the pulmonary 

risk of cancer caused by radon, are of different nature 

and their results are divergent. Thus, there persist 

scientific uncertainties concerning the real size of 

this risk. The application of the precautionary 

principle is based on an analysis of these 

uncertainties. Studies on miners, studies concerning 

residential radon (at individual and ecological level), 

as well as experimental data allow for the organisation 

of the uncertainty of each one of these specific 

approaches taking into account their proper limitations. 

The first risk that is linked to radon is the risk of 

pulmonary cancer. Miner occupational exposure studies 

appear compatible with the results of case-control 

studies concerning residential radon. However, the case-

control studies, where the risk appears more present, 

are contradicted by ecological studies, often not very 

convincing about the existence of a risk. The case-

control studies have an intrinsic advantage over the 

ecological studies because they limit the classification 

errors by the individualization of the relation-exposure 

effect. In addition, the experimental data are not in 

contradiction with the existence of effects for very 

small exposures. Consequently, the inherent scientific 

uncertainties of the totality of these data, can be 

classified and permit the application of the 

precautionary principle in a better proportioned way. 

The utilisation of the precautionary principle implies 

the necessity to limit, as far as possible, the exposure 

to residential radon. Precautionary principle is based 

on the debated hypothesis of no threshold linear 

relation between radon exposition and health 

consequences. This relation has been established on 

professional and residential exposures. The 

implementation of this epidemiological model shows 

the "residential radon" risk as the second cause of 

pulmonary cancer and responsible of about 10% of these 

specific cancers.



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