Abstract
Exposure to radon has been identified as a risk factor for lung cancer in uranium miners, but evidence of adverse health effects due to indoor radon exposure is inconsistent. Ecological studies have suggested a correlation between indoor radon levels and leukaemia incidence. We evaluated the risk associated with indoor residential radon exposure within a larger interview-based case–control study of risk factors for childhood acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). A total of 173 cases and 254 controls met the eligibility criteria, and information was collected through telephone interviews with parents and analysis of alpha-track radon detectors placed in the home for a period of 1 year. No association was observed between radon exposure and risk of AML, with adjusted odds ratios of 1.2 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.7–1.8) for 37–100 Bq m–3 and 1.1 (95% CI 0.6–2.0) for > 100 Bq m–3 compared with < 37 Bq m–3. Although there was an inverse association between radon level and AML risk among children < 2 years at diagnosis, among children ≥2 years, AML risk was increased among those with higher radon exposure. The observed association after age 2 is most likely due to chance. Overall, there was no association between residential radon and risk of childhood AML.
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Steinbuch, M., Weinberg, C., Buckley, J. et al. Indoor residential radon exposure and risk of childhood acute myeloid leukaemia. Br J Cancer 81, 900–906 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bjc.6690784
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bjc.6690784
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