Radon Exposure Linked to Increased Blood Cancer Risk in Women
" Dosimetric models show that radon
, an established cause of lung cancer , delivers a non-negligible dose of alpha radiation to the bone marrow , as well as to lymphocytes in the tracheobronchial epithelium , and thereforee could be related to the risk of hematologic cancers ," the authors explained .
Using data from the American Cancer Society ( ACS ) Cancer Preventionn Study-II Nutrition Cohort , which was established in
1992 and included data from 140,652 participants ( 66,572 men , 74,080 women ), the researcherss established historical radon exposure levels based on the participants ' county of residence in 1982 ( to establish baseline ), then calculated the number of years between the survey return date ( 1992 or 1993 ) and follow-up ( 2011 ). During the 19-year follow-up period , 3,019 incident case of hematologic cancers occurred in the population cohort : 1,711 in men and 1,308 in women . The median radon volume among the 1,322 counties included was 45.9 Bq / m 3 ( range = 6.3-265.7 Bq / m 3 ). The researchers observed a statistically significant positive association between high county-level residential radon exposure and hematologic cancer risk that differed based on sex ( p = 0.002 ): Women experienced a statistically significant risk of hematologic cancer ( hazard ratio [ HR ] per 100 Bq / m 3 = 1.38 ; 95 % CI 1 . 15-1.65 ; p = 0.001 ). The same risk was not observed in men ( HR per 100 Bq / m 3 = 0.96 ; 95
% CI 0.8-1 . 16 ).
Women ' s risk increased by 37 percent when exposed to moderate radon ( 100-124 Bq / m 3 ) compared with the lowest category, and women in the highest radon exposure category (> 148
Bq / m 3 ) had a 63 percent increased risk of hematologic cancer . The researchers also observed a positive response between higher radon concentration level and the risk of all lymphoid malignancies in women , with follicular lymphoma having the highest risk association
( HR = 2.74 [ 95 % CI 1.18-6.37 ] for > 148 Bq / m 3 vs
. < 74 Bq / m 3 ). Future replication studies are needed to confirm and better understand these findings .
The study was limited by being population-based , and thus limited in the potential confounding factors that could be measured , as well as not being able to measure radon exposure on an individual patient basis . Source : Teras LR , Diver WR , Turner MC . Residential radon exposure and risk of incident hematologic malignancies in the Cancer Prevention Study-II nutrition cohort . Environn Res . 2016 ; 148:46-54 .
A study published in Environmental
Research found that residential radon exposuree – from contaminated soil , groundwater , and surrounding air – may be a risk factor for lymphoid malignancies in women . This is the first large , prospective , population study to analyze the association between countylevel radon exposure and the risk of hematologic malignancies , the authors , led by Lauren R . Teras , PhD , the director of hematologic cancer research at the American Cancer Society , said .
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