title: The influence of radon measurement errors on the uncertainties of epidemiological case-control studies.
abstract: To analyse the influence of the parameters of case and control groups and uncertainties of radon concentration assessments on the dose-effect dependence, a special computer program was designed. The influence of measurement errors on the uncertainties of radon case-control analysis is demonstrated on examples of hypothetical case and control groups with sizes from 250-500 to 7000-14,000 members. The modelling was conducted using a Monte Carlo technique for different values of measurement uncertainties. The random errors of radon assessment affect both the numerical value of the slope coefficient β of the linear dependence of relative risk of lung cancer incidence on indoor radon concentration and the accuracy of this value. The extrapolation of the dependence of the slope coefficient β on the total (initial plus additional) random error of radon concentration assessment is suggested for the assessment of an unbiased value of the slope coefficient β.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Industrial Ecology UB RAS, Sophy Kovalevskoy st., 20, Yekaterinburg 620219, GSP-594, Russia. michael@ecko.uran.ru
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhukovsky
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Onishchenko
authors.forename: Anatoly
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Varaksin
authors.forename: Aleksey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vasilyev
mesh_terms: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D011886:Radon / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D035501:Uncertainty
chemical_list: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; D011886:Radon