A Comparative Study on Indoor Radon Levels between the Lung Cancer and Cancer Free Groups in Izmir Province, Turkey

Purpose: İzmir is the province of Turkey with the highest lung cancer incidences for males, therefore a comparative study was performed in particular districts of İzmir in 2013. In the study, it was aimed to assess the association between lung cancer risk and indoor radon. Methods: Patients diagnosed with lung cancer between 2010 and 2011 were selected from the database of the Izmir Cancer Registry (ICR). Measurements of indoor radon concentrations were performed in a total of 117 locations using the SSNTD (Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors) method with LR-115 detectors. Indoor radon concentration measured in homes of patients with lung cancer and cancer free group were compared statistically. Results: The indoor Radon (222Rn) activity concentration detected ranged from 165 to 487 Bq/m3, for the lung cancer group, from 28 to 367 Bq/m3 for the cancer free group, with geometric means of 269 Bq/m3 and 123 Bq/m3, respectively. Conclusion: According to the logistic regression model, as radon concentration and package/year increased, the rate of cancer increased multiple folds. These results suggest that indoor radon levels may contribute to higher rates of lung cancer for İzmir compared to the rest of the country, and indoor radon levels may be a contributory factor in this phenomenon.

___

  • 1. Sykora I, Froehlich K. Radionuclides as tracers of atmospheric process. In: Froehlich K, editor. Environmental Radionuclides: Tracers and Timers of Terrestrial Processes, Oxford, Elsevier; 2010. pp. 51-88.
  • 2. Martin JE. Physics for Radiation Protection. 2nd ed. Weinheim, WILEY-VCH. 2006. 288-289.
  • 3. Harley NH, Harley JH. Potential lung cancer risk from indoor radon exporsure. Cancer J Clin 1990; 40(5): 265-275.
  • 4. International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). ICRP Publication 65: Protection Against Radon-222 at Home and at Work. Ann. 1993; 23(2).
  • 5. Zeeb H, Shannoun F. WHO Handbook on Indoor Radon: a Public Health Perspective. Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization 2009.
  • 6. Darby S, Hill D, Auvinen A, et al. Radon in homes and risk of lung cancer: collaborative analysis of individual data from 13 European case-control studies. BJM 2005; 330: 223.
  • 7. Krewski D, Lubin JH, Zielinski JM, et al. Residential radon and risk of lung cancer, a combined analysis of 7 North American case-control studies. Epidemiology 2005; 16(2): 137-145.
  • 8. Alberg AJ, Brock MV, Ford JG, Samet JM, Spivack SD. Epidemiology of lung cancer: Diagnosis and management of lung cancer, 3rd ed: American college of chest physicians evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. Chest 2013; 143(5 Suppl): 1-29.
  • 9. Fidaner C, Eser SY, Parkin DM. Incidence in Izmir in 1993-1994: first results from Izmir Cancer Registry. Eu J Cancer 2001; 37(1): 83-92.
  • 10. Eser S, Yakut C, Özdemir R, et al. Cancer incidence rates in Turkey in 2006: A detailed registry based estimation. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 2010; 11(6): 1731-1739.
  • 11. Cancer Incidence in Five Continents, Vol. X (electronic version). Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer. Available from: http://ci5.iarc.fr/Default.aspx (accessed 27 January 2021). The printed version of this volume (IARC Scientific Publication No. 164).
  • 12. Eser S. Life time cumulative risks for cancers in Turkey. Tur J Public Health 2015; 13(2): 87-96. http://tjph.org/ojs/index.php/TJPH/article/view/1
  • 13. Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), Family Structure Research 2006. (accessed 27 January 2021). http://www.turkstat.gov.tr/Kitap.do?metod=KitapDetay&KT_ID=11&KITAP_ID=16
  • 14. Eser S, Pisani P. Tobacco related cancers in Turkey and Izmir. 28th Annual Meeting of the International Association of Cancer Registries, Cancer and Environment (IACR); 2006 Oct 7-10; Goiania-Goias, Brasil. http://www.iacr.com.fr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=112&Itemid=581
  • 15. Celebi N, Ataksor B, Taskın H, Albayrak Bingoldag N. Indoor radon measurements in Turkey dwellings. Radiat Prot Dosim 2015; 167(4): 626-632.
  • 16. Alkan T, Karadeniz Ö. Indoor 222Rn levels and effective dose estimation of academic staff in İzmir-Turkey. Biomed Environ SCI 2014; 27(4): 259-267.
  • 17. Karadeniz Ö, Yaprak G, Akal C, Emen, İ. Indoor radon measurements in the granodiorite area of Bergama (Pergamon)-Kozak, Turkey. Radiat Prot Dosim 2012; 149(2): 147-154.
  • 18. Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK): https://data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=The-Results-of-Address-Based-Population-Registration-System-2019-33705&dil=2 (accessed 25 August 2020).
  • 19. Somogyi G, Paripas B, Varga Zs. Measurement of radon, radon daughters and thoron concentrations by multi-detector devices. Nucl Tracks Rad Meas 1984; 8(1-4): 423-427.
  • 20. Planinic J. 222Rn detection efficiency and sensitivity coefficient of the LR 115-II nuclear track detector. Health Phys1992; 62(4): 356-358.
  • 21. Currie LA. Limits for qualitative detection and quantitative determination. Application to radiochemistry. Anal Chem 1968; 40(3): 586-593.
  • 22. Torres-Durán M, Barros-Dios JM, Fernández-Villar A, Ruano-Ravina A. Residential radon and lung cancer in never smokers. A systematic review. Cancer Lett 2014; 345(1): 21–26.