Indoor radon and lung cancer in China

A case-control

study

of lung cancer

effect of air pollution Jedrychowski

W, Becher

menI oj~pidemiob3gy, Kopernrka

Sveel,

with

special

reference

to the

in Poland lnsliluw

Cracow.

No association

Z. Depurt-

J, Bass-Cierpialek

qfSocia1

Medicme,

J Epidemiol

Medical

Commun

Health

heavy

School.

7

1990:44:114-

smokers.

radon

cancers

suggest

The aim of the study

was to assess the affect

cancer risk. The study

lung cancer deaths over a six year period ticcupation,

smoking

of inhaled

was a rctrospectivc

habits,

(1980.1985).

and nxdency

pollutants

levels

of

ated with

Information

on

further

from

of

carcinogenic

was collected

k~n.Classificationofexposurctoco~nmunityairpollu~on measured

levels

dioxide.

of

total

vuspcndcd

Cases wcrc malt

and female

ncxl

females

matched

matter

and

The formation

rate 70.7%)

relates

lung cancer deaths;

dcpcnd

strongly

smoke,

and on time since stopping

occupational

on total

exposure

were significantly air pollution

cancer

consumption, smoking.

in malts.

the increase

Relative

facts of smoking,

occupational

fitalmostperfcctly

pollutionmay

air

m Cracow,

with

known

model.

mcreasc

risk factors

to for

Toxicol

of mesothelioma

1.08.2.01) action

while

of the risk

was found

Undcrcondilions

to

found

lung cancer rusk, acting

such as smoking

in Glasgow

b’mt, GIas@w

J Sot

Considerable

Mcd

cxpo-

exists

at the workplace

and

asbestos

hoth

addrtron,

the recording

nine

different

establish

sources

of

Glasgow

Health

cases were identified,

Board

of similar

develop

studies

registers

litlermatca.

hydrocarbon

lung tumorigcncsis

rcsultcd

a cast for a special

was apparent

indcpendcnt

mjcctions

mesothchoma

113

register.

to the

levels),

mduccd

in those

correlation

place

duction

following

between

and their high Indoor Blot

radon

WJ,

Xu

Execulive

and lung cancer Z-Y,

Plaza

Nonh,

Beihesda,

MD

of Health,

lnmru~es

20892.

J Nat1 Cancer

Inst

1990:X2:1025-30. Radon

has long

especially living In an

been known

in underground

the carcinogen.

to contrthute

miners

Recently,

women

wtth

female

control

1 year. All

newly

as an important radon

lung

of similar

participants

detectors

cancer

of

of radon

in

part of the country in women.

in the homes

and 356 randomly

years. The median the levels

household

were greater

in single-story

in homes controls,

radon

than 4 pCi/L.

level

of women

who

nor did lung cancer

highest

levels

increased

lung

risk mcrcase

of

tended levels

was 24

of air: 20% of to be higher dwellings, of indoor

air

with

than

increasing

in homes radon

of

level.

from

hyde

industries

Blair

A, Stewart

Plaza North.

were given

mcidcnccs

three

wcrc deter-

hawcen

nonmduciblc

female

of MC to adult only

responb-earing

responsive mice

had a

Fl

mice rcvcaled

4- to 7.fold ratio.

in the adult

The

that

ammal

diffcrcncc

in

the

to the highcrconstnutivclcv~l~ofAHH grcatcr

supcrnatants

than maximal

showed

IS a unique

ratio during

similar

Thcsc results

to MC-initiated

P4SOIAl

dehyde

lung canceramong

basal

Icvcls

01

suggest

that the

tumors

and in-

lung

property

of the fetus and

of fetal activating

the fetal

period.

workers

employed

RN. Narional

PA, Hoover

Belhesda.

A historical assembled

cohort

to evaluate

Historical

MD 20892.

enzymes

exposures

participating

plants, exposure

by project tally

noted

workers.

cmploycd

in ten facihties

with cxposurc by job,

momtoring

from

long-term

evaluations

from

walk-through

hygienists.

for this project.

a 30%

The relative

cxccss

and results A previous

mortality

Executrve

1990:17:683-99.

comments

industrial

performed

CancerIn.srtmre.

to formaldehyde using

in formalde-

I lnd Mcd

cancer risks asscciatcd

time wcrc estimated

officials,

Am

of 26,65 1 workers

and calendar

area, plant,

surveys

conducted

monitoring

report

of findings

lung

increasing

cxpusurc

were investigated

to formaldehyde.

cancer

spectfifrom

among

(whethcrcstimated

including

and by cxposurcs

did notappear

duratmn. lagged

toariscgradually,

Various

butemergcd

by SMRs

lung

but nonsignificant,

cancer

and level

peak, cumulative,

suddenly

exposure-response

of formaldehyde

of cxposurc and

and 30 years. The excess

whose tota1cummu1ativecxposurewaslessthan0.1 posit&,

this wage with

estimates

intensity,

by 5.10.20.

from

and company

from

from

rusk for lung cancer

work

data available workers

was

to formal-

orSRRs)20ormoreyearsaftcrfirstcxposured~dnotgcncrallyrise

average,

the levels were not higher cancer

Mortality

study

rates of lung

in the homes

of multiple-story

stoves. However, developed

population

was 2.3 pCi/L

Radon

in houses with

from coal-burning

selected

inthenortheast

of residence

houses or on the first floor

and they were also higher pollution

omc

of 308

were taken after

part of the general

that has one of the world’s The median

present

of radon wtth lung

Shenyang,Peoplc’sRcpubhcofChma,anindustrialcity cancer

cancer,

to large amounts

age. Measurements

were

of lung

cause of lung cancer.

of low amounts

alpha-track

diagnosed

subjects

study

lowcrarnounts

the relationship

cancer risk, we placed

to risk

who are exposed

however.

areas have been suggested

effortloclarify

wtth

in China

JD Jr ct al. National

Boicc

mice

bctwccn

MC trcatmcnt.

induction

well

of P4501A 1 RNA

ddfcr

may be due, in part, to the low basal lcvcls

of occupation.

activity

their mduciblccounterparts

wsccptibihty

of cytochromc

of MC

of AHH

in the numberofmicc

induction

and adult

of

x DBA/

01 100 mg/kg

wcrc observed

tissue (4. to 14.fold

as fetal

activity

fetal wasduc

seen in adult

the findings of

large

magmtudcofinducuon

of aryl

data agreed

x DBA/2)

Howcvcr,

ip inJcctmns

vcsus aldult

and dependence

induction

multiphcity

was increased

hydrocarbon than mduction-

induction

MC and tumor

No diffcrcnces

malts.

activity

compared activity

(Fl

work

(C57BLi6

ip injection SO-fold

highcrtumormultiplicitythan

AHH

fetal

with

adult

mice

Previous

mducuon

In inducihlc

miccofcithcrscx

( p < 0.025). Single lung

in lung

for 4X hr. The cn/ymc

of 100 mg/kg

to pregnant

ofaryl

to bodt

(AHH)

a smglc

nor did the tumor

significantly

21701.1013.

the clTects of fclal

regard

in a maximal

16 weeks.

tumors,

and residen-

predominantly

No relationship

after

(MC)

as MC caused maximal

and non responsive

more than 86 percent exposures

occurs

activity

persisted

blot analysis.

lung

to

with

fetal lung supematants,

to the mothers

in

Carcmugene-

MD

mducihihty

on the Ah gcnutypc.

In

area of the

1981 and 1984. Although

occupation.

COT-

more lung tumors

In this study,

compared

hydroxylasc

siveandnonrcsponswe

is questton-

in an attempt

identified

in that mesothelwma

lung tumors

in the offspring.

two IO five times

were

to

This paper compares

in the geographical

study of the occupational

by reason of their

rcsidencc

of exposure environment.

mesothelioma

source

the

Prrmatal

LM.

I;redmr:k.

tumors

that fetuses demonstrating

exposure

weekly

Surveillance

of the casts was also carried out. It confirmed

tial histories exposed

for

between

no single

A questionnaire-based

in health

of lung

MC

mined

the effects

in the general

of the discasc

of this total, thus presenting

Cancer

and completeness.

data

the true incidence

Grealcr

about

of mesothelioma

able both in terms of accuracy

to clarify

by the carcinogen

of 3-mcthylcholanthrene

by 4 hr. For comparison,

1981-1984

1990;40:5-10.

concern

asscc-

Howcvcr,

1990;104:235-45.

nonrcsponsive

2)Fl

multipli-

and industrial

DW. M/e.\1 ojScolland

Occup

public

arc needed

P45OIAl

Inslilue,

Cancer

in the formation

has shown

RNA

CR, Hole DJ, Lamont

city.

radon.

Park SS, Anderson

Pharmacol

by 8 hr. which

Gillis

risks of lung cancer

groups

data radon

mice

The administration results

metabolism

sure.

Incidence

Our

to high

in this Chincsc

of cytochrome

Nalional

Appl

or in other industries

and air pollution

into a multiplicative

cxposcd

of 3-methylcholanthrene-initiated

MS, Jones AB,

sis Sectmn.

risk in men for highest

The joint

cxposurc,

to

risk estimates

interval

was not sigrnficant.

rate 73.5%;

on age at starting

in iron and steel foundries

increased

population

risk of small

rcsidcnts.

of mmcrs

the overall

of indoor

induction

fetal but not adult

controls

risk was found

Relative

level was 1.48 (95% conftdencc

in women

cativcly

cigarette

Lung

with

Miller

n = 875, response

rate 64.0%).

surveys

cxccss

among

type wtth

sulphur

response

n = 19X. response

in other

cancer cell

cxposcd

seen in homes

potential

(n = 901, questionnaire

by age and sex (males

typically

studies

01. Cracow,

rate 65.1%)

from

hcavdy

regardless

trend

was basedon

particular

wercdcathsfromuthcrcauses,cxclutlingolhcrrcsp~ratoryd~seases,and frequency

lcvcls

of lung

for a nonsignificant

more

may have overestimated

in the city

(n = 198, response

the

for a nonsignificant

associations

except

among

had been restdcnt

Cases and controls

Poland.

survey

No positwc

that projections

on

case-control

radon and lung cancer was observed status, except

were observed,

cell

20. lung

between

of cigarettc-smoking

H, Wahrcndorf

occurred

among

ppm-years. associations in only

workers Slightly between

a few out of a