A cost-effectiveness analysis of radon protection methods in domestic properties: a comparative case study in Brixworth, Northamptonshire, UK

Coskeran, Thomas; Denman, Anthony R; Phillips, Paul S; Tornberg, R

doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2006.08.005

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Apart from the measure(s) of cost-effectiveness used in this paper, more general measures of cost-effectiveness are 'cost per life-year gained' or 'cost per QALY gained'. These are often used to assess the cost-effectiveness of health interventions and have recently been applied by our group to the question of assessing the cost-effectiveness of domestic radon remediation programmes (Coskeran et al 2006a(Coskeran et al , 2006b(Coskeran et al , 2007. The studies confirmed the results of Denman et al (2002) by showing domestic radon remediation programmes to be cost-effective relative both to other health interventions for which cost-effectiveness results were available and to the 'threshold' level of £30 000 per QALY gained associated with the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lowering the UK domestic radon Action Level to prevent more lung cancers—is it cost-effective?

et al. 2008

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Case studies have shown that radon gas can accumulate within domestic properties at sufficiently high levels that it can cause lung cancer, and recent studies have suggested that this risk remains significant below the UK domestic Action Level of 200 Bq m(-3). Raised radon levels can be reduced by engineering measures, and it has been shown that domestic radon remediation programmes in UK Affected Areas can result in reduced risks to the population and can be cost-effective. We consider here the benefits and costs of the domestic radon remediation programme in Northamptonshire, UK, and consider the implications for that programme of reducing the UK Action Level below its present value. A radon remediation programme based on an Action Level above 200 Bq m(-3) will cost less and will target those most at risk, but will be less cost-effective and will lead to higher residual dose and greater risk of cancer in the remaining population. Reducing the Action Level below 200 Bq m(-3) will prevent more cancers, but at significantly higher cost. It will also be less cost-effective, because remediation of a significant number of houses with moderate radon levels will provide only a modest health benefit to occupants. Overall, a completed radon remediation programme of the type implemented in Northamptonshire is most cost-effective for an Action Level between 200 and 300 Bq m(-3). The implications for future health policy are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lowering the UK domestic radon Action Level to prevent more lung cancers—is it cost-effective?

et al. 2008

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“…They also state that the percentage of properties above the action level is a significant determinant of whether or not a program will produce costeffective health outcomes in an area. Other authors [39] show that, for areas with a low percentage of homes with radon concentration above action level, the more cost-effective course of actions is as follows:…”

Section: Countrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Indoor radon: An overview on a perennial problem

Pacheco-Torgal

2012

Building and Environment

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a b s t r a c tAccording to the World Health Organization (WHO) radon constitutes the second cause of lung cancer in the general population, the first being smoking. In addition health investigations also show that children are more susceptible than adults to ionizing radiation. In the past, it was accepted that only radon concentrations above 400 Bq/m 3 could constitute a health risk, however, recent epidemiological findings demonstrate lung cancer risk from exposure to indoor radon at levels in the order of 100 Bq/m 3 . Furthermore, lung cancer aggravates based on the accumulated inhaled dose and, according to WHO, there is no lower radon level below which the risk from exposure disappears. Nevertheless, some surveys show that the majority of the public seems to consider the health risks involved in radon exposure as being negligible. To make things worse, only a few countries require the use of protection measures for buildings located in radon affected areas. This paper reviews literature on radon as a source of indoor air contamination. It covers recent legislation, building protecting measures and their cost-effectiveness. It also covers the case of radon emissions from construction and decorative materials.

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“…Following remediation, radon exposure can at most be reduced to the average outdoor level of 9 Bq/m 3 . Costs and effects are considered over a period of 40 years, which complies with the average durability of remedial measures and is applied in many international radon intervention studies (see, for example, Coskeran et al, 2006b;Denman et al, 2005;Kennedy et al, 1999;Lubin and Boice, 1997;Stigum et al, 2003). Furthermore, it is assumed that exposed and non-exposed individuals do not differ except for the individual radon exposure.…”

Section: Further Assumptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The cost effectiveness of radon mitigation in existing German dwellings – A decision theoretic analysis

Haucke

2010

Journal of Environmental Management

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A cost-effectiveness analysis of radon protection methods in domestic properties: a comparative case study in Brixworth, Northamptonshire, UK

Cited by 7 publications

References 25 publications

Lowering the UK domestic radon Action Level to prevent more lung cancers—is it cost-effective?

Lowering the UK domestic radon Action Level to prevent more lung cancers—is it cost-effective?

Indoor radon: An overview on a perennial problem

The cost effectiveness of radon mitigation in existing German dwellings – A decision theoretic analysis

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