WING et al. article and Lung Cancer

["R. William Field" <bill-field@uiowa.edu>]

An interesting side note to the lack of adjustment for both smoking and
radon exposure in the Wing et al. article concerning lung cancer rates
around TMI:

In 1994, Barbara Alexander et al. published an interesting article in the
Health Physics Journal entitled, "Areas of the United States with Elevated
Screening Levels of Radon-222" (66:50-54;1994). The region of the United
States that they claim has the highest screening radon concentrations
contains the counties surrounding TMI (Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster - my
birthplace, Lebanon, Perry and York Counties).  They noted average
screening radon concentrations of 659 Bq m-3 (18 pCi/L) for this region.  

It is my view that the radon and smoking rates needed to be considered in
the analyses of their data.  

Bill Field 




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R. William Field, Ph.D.
Department of Preventive Medicine
  and Environmental Health
Division of Epidemiology
N222 Oakdale Hall
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa 52242
319-335-4413 (phone)
319-335-4747 (fax)
bill-field@uiowa.edu (email)
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