Minireview
How Much Protection Against Radon Do We Need?
Klaus Becker
Radiation, Science & Health, Berlin, Germany
Corresponding author: Prof. Klaus Becker, Vice President
Radiation, Science & Health
D-12207 Berlin, Germany
Boothstr. 27.
Telephone: +4930-772-1284
Fax number: +4930-772-1284
E-mail adress: prof.dr.klaus.becker@t-online.de
CEJOEM 2001, Vol.7. Nos.3-4.:168-177
Key words:
Radon risk, epidemiology, smoking, balneology, lung cancer
Abstract:
It has been long established that radon contributed to lung cancer among early miners, and
has beneficial health effects, e.g., for painful joint diseases. Based on still controversial
epidemiological data regulators currently favour linear extrapolation from very high mining to
low residential radon exposures. This paper reviews direct and indirect evidence that due to
various perturbing factors, first of all, to retrospective determination of smoking habits, this
approach is misleading and, at the same tine, claiming for economic and other consequences that
cannot actually be justified by public health reasons. A threshold for residential radon levels
around 1000 Bq/m3 is likely.
Received: 27 June 2001
Accepted: 08 August 2001
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