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Radon daughter exposure and respiratory cancer quantitative and temporal aspects.

Lundin FE Jr.; Wagoner JK; Archer VE

NIOSH 1971 Jun; :1-193

00092887

Epidemiologic and pathologic data on radon (10043922) daughter exposure and respiratory cancer among uranium (7440611) miners were evaluated. A statistically significant excess of respiratory cancer was identified among white uranium miners at each cumulative radiation exposure category down to and including the range of 120 to 359 working level months (WLM). Increased mortality from respiratory cancer and a dose relationship was indicated among uranium miners with or without other hard rock mining experience. Statistical analysis of respiratory cancer among workers in the potash (584087) industry and Indians in the southwest United States indicated that factors other than radiation were not responsible for the excess malignancies. A significant excess of small cell undifferentiated type tumors among uranium miners with respiratory cancer indicated a causal role of airborne radiation. This cell type was shown to increase with increasing cumulative radiation exposure. Animal studies indicated that the lung is relatively radiosensitive from the standpoint of carcinogenesis and that lung cancer may occur after exposure to 100 rads (ionizing absorbed dose of radiation). The risk of respiratory cancer per unit of exposure appeared to be greater in lower cumulative radiation groups than in higher ones. The authors conclude that a reduction in the federal standard for radon daughter exposure from 12 to 4 WLM per year may not yield the same proportionate reduction in respiratory cancer that would be expected from a linear relationship.

NIOSH-Publication; NIOSH-Author; Radiation-exposure; Lung-cancer; Uranium-miners; Morbidity-rates; Epidemiology; Risk-factors; Mortality-rates; Exposure-limits; Pulmonary-system-disorders; Cigarette-smoking

10043-92-2; 7440-61-1; 584-08-7

19710601

1971

PB-204871

A10

Pulmonary-system-disorders

NIOSH-NIEHS Joint Monograph No. 1, NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio

OH