Radon and tobacco kill together and separately21/12/2004
The study combined material from thirteen previous studies from nine European countries. Two of the studies were carried out in Finland. The collected material includes data on over 7 000 lung cancer patients and details of the smoking habits and concentrations of radon in the dwellings of over 14 000 healthy individuals from the same age bracket. The large database makes it possible to make a distinction between the effects of radon and the effects of smoking. In earlier studies, the greater significance of smoking as a cause of lung cancer has often drawn attention away from the effects of radon. Tobacco is the most significant cause of lung cancer and radon is more dangerous for smokers than non-smokers. The risk of a non-smoker developing lung cancer before their seventy-fifth birthday increases from 0.5 percent to 0.7 percent if the radon concentration of the indoor air is in the range of 100 becquerels per cubic metre to 400 becquerels per cubic metre. The corresponding figures for those who smoke are an increase from 12 to 16 percent. In other words, of a thousand non-smokers who live in a dwelling which has a low concentration of radon, about five will develop lung cancer. Of a thousand smokers who live in a dwelling which has a high concentration of radon, about 160 will develop lung cancer. The results of the Finnish studies were generally parallel with the new study, but due to the limited set of data, conclusive conclusions were unable to be drawn. Researchers estimate that radon is responsible for approximately nine percent of lung cancer deaths in Europe. Smoking accounts for approximately 90 percent. Lowering the concentration of radon supplements the efforts of working against smoking when tackling cancer. Precautions should be taken against radonThe large set of data also enabled the effects of quite small concentrations of radon to be studied. Radon has been linked with lung cancer when the concentration has been below 200 becquerels per cubic metre. The results of the study highlighted the necessity to ensure safe levels of radon, both when constructing new buildings and when renovating older ones. In Finland, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has decided that the radon concentration of indoor air may not exceed 400 becquerels per cubic metre. New buildings have to be designed and constructed so that the concentration of radon is less than 200 becquerels per cubic metre. The study showed that when the radon concentration of a dwelling rises by 100 becquerels per cubic metre, the likelihood of developing lung cancer rises by 8-16 percent, depending on the method of assessment. The problem is a real one. Living for 30 years in a place which has a radon concentration of 800 to 1 400 becquerels per cubic metre, doubles the chance of developing lung cancer, compared with a dwelling which has a concentration of less than 100 becquerels per cubic metre. The study is available on the internet at:
bmjjournals More information about the studyProfessor Anssi Auvinen, STUK/University of Tampere, tel. (03) 215 6883 More information about the radon situation in FinlandHead of laboratory, Hannu Arvela, STUK, tel. (09) 759 88 470 More information about the effects of tobaccoChief medical officer, Matti Rautalahti, Cancer Organisations, tel. 050 5941870
Information officer, Risto Isaksson tel. (09) 759 88 208 Page updated 10/05/2005
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