Link of radon to lung cancer looks loopy.Public health experts warn that high radon readings in a home may put residents at risk of developing lung cancer lung cancer, cancer that originates in the tissues of the lungs. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States in both men and women. Like other cancers, lung cancer occurs after repeated insults to the genetic material of the cell. . However, "there is surprisingly little objective evidence" from studies on radon in houses to back up these warnings, point out John S. Neuberger of the University of Kansas The University of Kansas (often referred to as KU or just Kansas) is an institution of higher learning in Lawrence, Kansas. The main campus resides atop Mount Oread. School of Medicine in Kansas City Kansas City, two adjacent cities of the same name, one (1990 pop. 149,767), seat of Wyandotte co., NE Kansas (inc. 1859), the other (1990 pop. 435,146), Clay, Jackson, and Platte counties, NW Mo. (inc. 1850). and his colleagues. So they decided to examine residential radon and lung cancer rates of women in 20 Iowa counties. Seventy-one percent of homes in Iowa exceed Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and radon guidelines, they write in the March HEALTH PHYSICS. The percentage of women in Iowa developing lung cancer falls below that in most other states, however, and an average percentage smokes. The researchers first looked at lung cancer rates among women living in the counties with the largest percentage of smokers. Of this group, those residing in areas with the highest radon readings had a 23 percent greater incidence of the disease than women living in areas with the lowest radon. But counterintuitive coun·ter·in·tu·i·tive adj. Contrary to what intuition or common sense would indicate: "Scientists made clear what may at first seem counterintuitive, that the capacity to be pleasant toward a fellow creature is ... findings emerged when they examined lung cancer rates of women in the counties with the lowest proportion of smokers. In this group, residents of low-radon areas had a 33 percent higher incidence of lung cancer than women living in high-radon counties. Factors affecting lung cancer that the researchers didn't measure, such as diet and urbanization, may have confounded their results, Neuberger and his group write. Also, using county data may be insufficient to get a clear picture, he says. Nevertheless, their findings suggest that "radon and smoking may synergistically syn·er·gis·tic adj. 1. Of or relating to synergy: a synergistic effect. 2. Producing or capable of producing synergy: synergistic drugs. 3. increase the risk of lung cancer when both levels are high," they report. Their new study, now in progress, of 1,200 women should clarify the radon-lung cancer link, Neuberger says. |
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