[ RadSafe ] Residential radon risk

[jjcohen]

from: niton at mchsi.com:

. > strongly negative correlations are found for cancers strongly linked to 
> cigarette smoking, weaker negative correlations are found for cancers 
> moderately increased by smoking, whereas no such correlation is found for 
> cancers not linked to smoking. The results indicate that the negative trend 
> previously reported for lung cancer can be largely accounted for by a negative 
> correlation between smoking and radon levels across counties. Hence, the 
> observed ecological correlation provides no substantial evidence for a 
> protective effect of low level radon exposure.

Given the apparent negative correlation between smoking and radon levels, I wonder 
whether it is low radon levels that cause people to smoke, or does smoking somehow 
cause lower radon levels? We need to solve this mystery.