Biomaterial Database

Lung cancer in Swedish iron miners exposed to low doses of radon daughters. 1984

E P Radford, and K G Renard

In a retrospective study, we investigated lung-cancer mortality from 1951 to 1976 in 1415 Swedish iron miners exposed to short-lived radioactive daughters of radon gas at concentrations leading to annual doses close to the currently accepted occupational limit. Fifty deaths from lung cancer were observed, as compared with 12.8 expected; expected rates were determined by a smoking-specific analysis based on data from a random sample of the Swedish male population. Among nonsmokers 18 deaths were observed, as compared with 1.8 expected; among current smokers and recent exsmokers 32 deaths were observed and 11.0 were expected. The effects of smoking and exposure to alpha radiation from radon daughters were nearly additive. Comparison of lung-cancer risk coefficients from this study and from other cohort studies of underground miners showed good agreement. Exposure to radon daughters is a major medical problem is underground metal mining, but our results also indicate that exposure to radon daughters at home accounts for an appreciable number of cases of lung cancer in the general population.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007501	Iron	A metallic element with atomic symbol Fe, atomic number 26, and atomic weight 55.85. It is an essential constituent of HEMOGLOBINS; CYTOCHROMES; and IRON-BINDING PROTEINS. It plays a role in cellular redox reactions and in the transport of OXYGEN.	Iron-56,Iron 56
D007854	Lead	A soft, grayish metal with poisonous salts; atomic number 82, atomic weight 207.2, symbol Pb.
D008175	Lung Neoplasms	Tumors or cancer of the LUNG.	Cancer of Lung,Lung Cancer,Pulmonary Cancer,Pulmonary Neoplasms,Cancer of the Lung,Neoplasms, Lung,Neoplasms, Pulmonary,Cancer, Lung,Cancer, Pulmonary,Cancers, Lung,Cancers, Pulmonary,Lung Cancers,Lung Neoplasm,Neoplasm, Lung,Neoplasm, Pulmonary,Pulmonary Cancers,Pulmonary Neoplasm
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D008906	Mining	The process of extracting mineral deposits from the earth.
D009381	Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced	Tumors, cancer or other neoplasms produced by exposure to ionizing or non-ionizing radiation.	Radiation-Induced Cancer,Cancer, Radiation-Induced,Radiation-Induced Neoplasms,Cancer, Radiation Induced,Cancers, Radiation-Induced,Neoplasm, Radiation-Induced,Neoplasms, Radiation Induced,Radiation Induced Cancer,Radiation Induced Neoplasms,Radiation-Induced Cancers,Radiation-Induced Neoplasm
D009784	Occupational Diseases	Diseases caused by factors involved in one's employment.	Diseases, Occupational,Occupational Illnesses,Disease, Occupational,Illnesse, Occupational,Illnesses, Occupational,Occupational Disease,Occupational Illnesse
D011059	Polonium	A radioactive element that is a member of the chalcogen family. It has the atomic symbol Po, atomic number 84, and the atomic weight of the isotope with the longest half-life (209Po) is 208.98. It decays by alpha-emission.
D001729	Bismuth	A metallic element that has the atomic symbol Bi, and atomic number 83. Its principal isotope is Bismuth 209.