STUDY OF RADON LEVELS, CIGARETTE SMOKING AND CANCER

最近的调查显示， 美国的家庭室内氡含量超过 EPA的补救措施指导水平。 据估计 室内氡气污染占5,000到20,000肺 每年死于癌症的人数 这一估计是基于外推的 来自对氡气暴露非常高的矿工的研究结果; 这些研究的结果可能无法推广到 人口众多。 吸烟是压倒性的风险 有证据表明， 氡对吸烟者的影响可能更大。 但 氡吸烟之间可能相互作用的性质还没有 被充分量化。 因此，关系 氡的累积住宅暴露和肺暴露之间 癌症风险将在犹他州和爱达荷州南部进行探索， 500例吸烟者肺部感染的病例对照研究 癌症和相似数量的匹配比较受试者 没有肺癌，通过随机电话筛选。 通过肿瘤登记确定的肺癌发病病例 将在3年内收集和审查医院记录 期 将获得详细的住宅历史和氡 测量将在过去的家园，以估计 累积氡暴露量。 数据从该 研究将与犹他州的350项平行研究相结合 非吸烟者肺癌及其配对比较 组评价氡与香烟之间的相互作用 吸烟改变肺癌风险。

Recent surveys indicate that between 10 and 20 percent of homes in the United States have indoor radon levels that exceed EPA's guideline level for remedial action. It has been estimated that indoor radon pollution accounts for 5,000 to 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year. This estimate is based on extrapolated from results of studies of miners with very high radon exposures; findings from these studies may not be generalizable to the population at large. Cigarette smoking is the overwhelming risk factor for lung cancer and there is evidence to suggest that effects from radon may be greater in smokers. However, the nature of the possible interaction between radon smoking has not been adequately quantified. Accordingly, the relationship between cumulative residential exposure to radon and lung cancer risk will be explored in Utah and southern Idaho, in a population-based case-control study of 500 smokers with lung cancer and a similar number of matched comparison subjects without lung cancer, chosen by random telephone screening. Incident lung cancer cases identified through a tumor registry and review of hospital records will be collected over a 3 year period. Detailed residential histories will be obtained and radon measurements will be made in past homes in order to estimate cumulative radon exposure for each subject. Data from this study will be combined with parallel study in Utah of 350 nonsmokers with lung cancer and their matched comparison group to evaluate the interaction between radon and cigarette smoke exposure in altering lung cancer risk.