J Korean Med Sci.  2015 May;30(5):542-548. 10.3346/jkms.2015.30.5.542.

Risks of Lung Cancer due to Radon Exposure among the Regions of Korea

• Lee HA
• Lee WK
• Lim D
• Park SH
• Baik SJ
• Kong KA
• Jung-Choi
• Park H

• KMID: 2155465
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2015.30.5.542

Abstract

Radon is likely the second most common cause of lung cancer after smoking. We estimated the lung cancer risk due to radon using common risk models. Based on national radon survey data, we estimated the population-attributable fraction (PAF) and the number of lung cancer deaths attributable to radon. The exposure-age duration (EAD) and exposure-age concentration (EAC) models were used. The regional average indoor radon concentration was 37.5 95 Bq/m3. The PAF for lung cancer was 8.3% (European Pooling Study model), 13.5% in males and 20.4% in females by EAD model, and 19.5% in males and 28.2% in females by EAC model. Due to differences in smoking by gender, the PAF of radon-induced lung cancer deaths was higher in females. In the Republic of Korea, the risk of radon is not widely recognized. Thus, information about radon health risks is important and efforts are needed to decrease the associated health problems.

Keyword

Epidemiology; Lung Neoplasms; Risk Assessment; Radon; Republic of Korea

MeSH Terms

Adult
Demography
*Environmental Exposure
Female
Humans
Lung Neoplasms/*epidemiology/etiology/mortality
Male
Models, Theoretical
Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced/*epidemiology/etiology
Radon/*toxicity
Republic of Korea/epidemiology
Risk Assessment
Smoking
Survival Analysis
Radon

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Average radon concentration during 1989-2009 by 16 districts in Republic of Korea. Source: Kim et al. (4).

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  Fig. 2 Summary results of attributable proportion (%) of radon induced lung cancer deaths by gender applying to the risk models developed by the sixth Biological Effects on lionizing Radiations Committee. EAC, exposure-age-concentration; EAD, exposure-age-duration.

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