These findings support the hypothesis that an agent present in well water plays an etiologic role in ALS. Further study of water use among individuals with ALS is warranted.

Aim:We previously reported that incidence rates for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) among US states are significantly correlated with levels of residential radon (RR). Because these correlations could be influenced by confounding and/or misclassification among large geographic units, we reinvestigated them using smaller geographic units that better reflect exposure and disease at the individual level.Methods:We examined the relationships between CLL and RR per county in 478 counties with publicly-available data.Results:After adjustment for ultraviolet radiation, a possible risk factor for CLL, county rates for CLL and RR were significantly correlated among males and females both together and separately (p < 0.0001).Conclusion:CLL is significantly associated with RR at the county level.

A survey was conducted in southern Illinois with a population of 46 coal miners and ex-coal miners ranging in age from 42 to 86 years. All the subjects were suffering from some degree of respiratory insufficiency. Three 24-hr dietary recalls were obtained from each participant and the mean daily intakes of 11 nutrients and calories were calculated by computer. Selected hematological analyses of blood were performed. Dietary intakes of calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin C were lowest within the population sample. The mean blood values indicative of iron status were within normal range. Physical inactivity among some of the miners accompanied by inadequate calcium intakes could predispose them to calcium-related skeletal infirmities. Inadequate intakes of vitamin A by the majority of subjects were particularly significant in this population. The role of vitamin A in maintaining healthy epithelial tissues is discussed and its possible association with a coal miner's susceptibility to pulmonary complications resulting from chronic exposure to coal dust. The results emphasize the value of assessing the nutritional status of individual coal miners and the need for personal dietary counseling.

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