Risks of Lung Cancer due to Radon Exposure among the Regions of Korea.
10.3346/jkms.2015.30.5.542
- Author:
Hye Ah LEE
1
;
Won Kyung LEE
;
Dohee LIM
;
Su Hyun PARK
;
Sun Jung BAIK
;
Kyoung Ae KONG
;
Kyunghee JUNG-CHOI
;
Hyesook PARK
Author Information
1. Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea. hpark@ewha.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Keywords:
Epidemiology;
Lung Neoplasms;
Risk Assessment;
Radon;
Republic of Korea
- MeSH:
Adult;
Demography;
*Environmental Exposure;
Female;
Humans;
Lung Neoplasms/*epidemiology/etiology/mortality;
Male;
Models, Theoretical;
Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced/*epidemiology/etiology;
Radon/*toxicity;
Republic of Korea/epidemiology;
Risk Assessment;
Smoking;
Survival Analysis
- From:Journal of Korean Medical Science
2015;30(5):542-548
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Radon is likely the second most common cause of lung cancer after smoking. We estimated the lung cancer risk due to radon using common risk models. Based on national radon survey data, we estimated the population-attributable fraction (PAF) and the number of lung cancer deaths attributable to radon. The exposure-age duration (EAD) and exposure-age concentration (EAC) models were used. The regional average indoor radon concentration was 37.5 95 Bq/m3. The PAF for lung cancer was 8.3% (European Pooling Study model), 13.5% in males and 20.4% in females by EAD model, and 19.5% in males and 28.2% in females by EAC model. Due to differences in smoking by gender, the PAF of radon-induced lung cancer deaths was higher in females. In the Republic of Korea, the risk of radon is not widely recognized. Thus, information about radon health risks is important and efforts are needed to decrease the associated health problems.
