Revision 1
March 19, 1998
by Radiation, Science, and Health, Inc.,
Edited by J. Muckerheide

1.2.6.3
Radon

1.2.6.3.2
Miners Studies

Dr. Philippe Duport of the Institute for Research on Environment and Economy, University of Ottawa, and his associates discuss (1997) radon and lung cancer: confidence intervals in the risk per unit exposure are so large that it is not possible to exclude harmful effects, the absence of an effect, or even the existence of beneficial effects at radon concentrations lower than about 200 WLM. The miners also inhaled other carcinogens, e.g., diesel exhaust products, arsenic, mineral fibres, and haematite. In addition to Rn-222 decay products, uranium miners inhaled mixtures of radioactive ore dust particles and Rn-220 decay products, and were exposed to the gamma radiation from the ore body. Furthermore, large uncertainties exist in the dose attributed to each worker, due to: Absence of measurements when the workers were being exposed, low sampling frequency, variability in time and space of the radon concentration, and unrecorded employment in other mines. These factors are compounded by attributing all excess lung cancers to the radon alone (neglecting other co-carcinogens) which make it difficult to draw conclusions about the influence of low exposures to radon alone for lung cancer in underground miners.