Re[2]: New study suggests radon threat may be overestimated

["Gerald Falo"<gerald_falo_at_chppm7__apgea@chppm-ccmail.apgea.army.mil>]

     This may be true, but as far as I understand it, lung cancer has a 
     latency period of about 20 years.  In the wild, the life spans of 
     critters are significantly shorter than those in captivity.  Even a 
     couple of centuries ago, the average life expectancy of humans was 
     about 35 years or so.
     
     It seems to me that animals and humans over the past million years or 
     so had the good sense to die before they developed cancers or other 
     diseases of old age.
     
     Just my two cents.
     
     Jerry Falo
     jer3ry@aol.com


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: New study suggests radon threat may be overestimated 
Author:  <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu > at internet-mail
Date:    1/14/99 10:37 AM


It seems reasonable that over the last million or so years that the lung 
tissue of mammals, especially those who have lived in the earth's crust 
(mice/burrows, man/caves,... etc.), who have had nearly constant exposure 
to high concentrations of radon throughout their lives has evolved to be 
some what cancer resistent compared to other types of body tissue.   Maybe 
over the next million years lung tissue could evolve to become cancer 
resistent to unnatural carcenogens like cigarette smoke and asbestos 
fibers.
     
     
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