Lung cancer and indoor radon exposure in the north of Portugal – An ecological study

Indoor Air Contaminants and Their Impact on Respiratory Pathologies

“…3 Studies in other populations show similar findings and relate this gas with 3.3% of deaths due to LC in the United Kingdom, and between 18% and 28% in Portugal. 54,55 Bronchial Asthma Some studies have shown that exposure to biomass smoke increases asthma prevalence and severity, 33,37,56 although a recent meta-analysis questions these results. 43 In the previously mentioned intervention in Guatemala, 34 providing stoves with chimneys showed favorable results in the intervention group, as in the follow-up until 18 months the chimney group had less respiratory symptoms (OR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.50-0.97).…”

Evaluating for a geospatial relationship between radon levels and thyroid Cancer in Pennsylvania

“…More recent ecological studies have evaluated the possible association with environmental exposure to radon and cancer. An ecological study performed in Portugal concluded that 18% to 28% of lung cancer mortality could be attributed to indoor radon exposure after accounting for smoking habits . Additionally, radon was found to be significantly associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease mortality in Canada .…”

A New Framework for the Management and Radiological Protection of Groundwater Resources: The Implementation of a Portuguese Action Plan for Radon in Drinking Water and Impacts on Human Health

“…According to the World Health Organization (WHO; [12]), radon is a carcinogenic agent reported as the second leading risk factor of lung cancer after tobacco, which is in accordance to recent epidemiological studies about radon exposure that causes about 20,000 deaths per year [13]. Regarding exposure to radon, a review of lung cancer mortality in northern Portugal developed by Veloso et al [14] related 8514 lung cancer deaths with radon exposure. The primary source of radon in groundwater comes from the successive decays in uranium-bearing minerals of rocks and soils.…”