Melloni B, Vergnenègre A, Lagrange P, Bonnaud F
Service de Pathologie Respiratoire et d'Allergologie, Hôpital Universitaire du Cluzeau, CHU Limoges.
Rev Mal Respir. 2000 Dec;17(6):1061-71.
Radon is a noble gas derived from the decay of radium, which itself is a decay product of uranium. The decay products of radon can collect electrostatically on dust particles in the air and, if these particles are inhaled and attach to bronchial epithelium, produce a high local radiation dose. Alpha particles can induce DNA double-strand breaks and the development of cancer. A causal relation between lung cancer and radon exposure and its progeny has been demonstrated in epidemiological studies of miners. Radon exposure became a public health issue almost 15 years ago. Most radon exposure occurs indoors, predominantly in the home. There is however, a wide range of radon concentration values in different countries. The highest level occurs in areas with granite and permeable soils. The risk for smoking, the leading cause of lung cancer, is far greater than for radon, the second leading cause. The estimates obtained from case-control studies of indoor radon are very contradictory. Scientific knowledge of effects of low levels of exposure to radon and the role of cigarette smoking, as a combined factor, must be studied. Smoking and radon probably interact in a multiplicative fashion.
氡是一种由镭衰变产生的惰性气体，而镭本身又是铀的衰变产物。氡的衰变产物能够通过静电作用附着在空气中的尘埃颗粒上，如果这些颗粒被吸入并附着在支气管上皮上，就会产生高剂量的局部辐射。α粒子能够诱发DNA双链断裂并引发癌症。在对矿工的流行病学研究中，已经证实了肺癌与氡暴露及其子体之间存在因果关系。氡暴露在大约15年前就成为了一个公共卫生问题。大多数氡暴露发生在室内，主要是在家庭中。然而，不同国家的氡浓度值范围很广。最高水平出现在有花岗岩和渗透性土壤的地区。肺癌的主要病因吸烟的风险，远高于第二大病因氡的风险。从室内氡的病例对照研究中得到的估计结果非常矛盾。必须研究低水平氡暴露的影响以及吸烟作为一个综合因素所起的作用等科学知识。吸烟和氡可能以相乘的方式相互作用。
