Samet J M
Department of Medicine, University of New Mexico Medical Center, Albuquerque 87131.
West J Med. 1992 Jan;156(1):25-9.
Radon is ubiquitous in indoor environments. Epidemiologic studies of underground miners with exposure to radon and experimental evidence have established that radon causes lung cancer. The finding that this naturally occurring carcinogen is present in the air of homes and other buildings has raised concern about the lung cancer risk to the general population from radon. I review current approaches for assessing the risk of indoor radon, emphasizing the extrapolation of the risks for miners to the general population. Although uncertainties are inherent in this risk assessment, the present evidence warrants identifying homes that have unacceptably high concentrations.
氡在室内环境中普遍存在。对接触氡的地下矿工的流行病学研究以及实验证据已证实氡会导致肺癌。这种天然致癌物存在于家庭和其他建筑物空气中这一发现引发了人们对氡给普通人群带来肺癌风险的担忧。我回顾了当前评估室内氡风险的方法,重点强调了将矿工风险外推至普通人群的情况。尽管这种风险评估存在内在的不确定性,但目前的证据表明有必要识别出氡浓度高得不可接受的房屋。