Review date
17 July 2023
Article published date
December 2022
Summary
This systematic scoping review analysed and summarised the available data (1980 - 2021) on the mortality burden of lung cancer due to radon. A total of 24 eligible studies from 14 different countries providing radon exposure and radon attributable mortality data were evaluated. Radon attributable mortality was estimated as population attributable fraction (PAF in %) and was given as a function of the radon geometric mean concentration in the area of study. Thirteen studies used risk models based on miners’ cohorts, eight used risks from residential radon case-control studies and three used both risk models. The reported radon concentration geometric mean was 11-83 Bq m-3; whereas the PAF was 0.2-26%. Of the radon PAF for lung cancer mortality reported in the included high-quality studies, residential risk sources and miner risk sources had PAFs of 3-12% and 7-25%, respectively. Overall, the study found that PAF for lung cancer due to radon exposure varies widely between countries (0.2–26%), which is partly due to the different radon exposure levels and risk source types.
Link to
Lung cancer mortality attributable to residential radon: a systematic scoping review
Published in
Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology
ARPANSA commentary
The study provides a pooled estimation of the burden of lung cancer mortality associated with radon exposure and indicates that PAF for lung cancer varies widely. The reported higher PAF for lung cancer among radon-exposed miners is consistent with existing literature reporting an increased lung cancer incidence among miners (e.g., Lane et al., 2019; Zablotska et al., 2022).Though comparable data (including that on radon exposure related PAF for lung cancer) from Australia are limited, an Australian study (Peters et al., 2013) has shown an elevated risk of lung cancer among underground mining workers.
According to the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency led nationwide survey of more than 3300 Australian homes, the average radon exposure level in Australian homes is much lower (~10 Bq m⁻³) compared to the global average (40 Bq m⁻³). Similarly, radon exposure among Australian miners (e.g., uranium mining and milling industry) also remains low and is regulated to minimise cancer risk. The Code for Radiation Protection in Planned Exposure Situations sets out the requirements for the protection of occupationally exposed persons in uranium mines. Though an additional risk of lung cancer incidence related to radon exposure has been established, the risk is much smaller compared to that from tobacco smoking (ICRP, 2010). Therefore, avoiding tobacco smoking ultimately reduces the total lung cancer risk, including that from radon exposure. This would translate to the reduction in PAF for radon exposure related lung cancer.
