title: Cancer incidence and mortality from exposure to radon progeny among Ontario uranium miners.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study objectives were to extend the follow-up of the Ontario uranium miners cohort, one of the largest cohorts of uranium miners with low cumulative exposures, to examine the relationship between radon exposure and lung cancer mortality and, for the first time incidence, and address gaps in the literature, including dose-response relationship between radon exposure and other cancer sites, and non-cancer mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cohort of mine and mill workers was created using data from Canada's National Dose Registry and the Ontario Mining Master File. The follow-up for the cohort was recently extended for mortality (1954-2007) and for the first time includes cancer incidence (1969-2005). The Poisson regression was used to estimate relative risks (RR) and excess relative risks (ERR) and their 95% CIs with levels of cumulative radon exposure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The cohort consisted of 28 546 male miners with a mean cumulative radon exposure of 21.0 working level months (WLM). An increased risk of lung cancer and a dose-response relationship was observed with cumulative radon exposure. Miners exposed to >100 WLM demonstrated a twofold increase in the risk of lung cancer incidence (RR=1.89, CI 1.43 to 2.50) compared with the non-exposed group, and a linear ERR of 0.64/100 WLM (CI 0.43 to 0.85), with similar results observed for mortality. No association was observed for other cancer sites (stomach, leukaemia, kidney and extrathoracic airways) or non-cancer sites (cardiovascular diseases) with increasing cumulative exposure to radon.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest no increased risk of cancer sites other than lung or non-cancer mortality from relatively low cumulative exposure to radon.
authors.affiliation: Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Cancer Care Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Garthika
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Navaranjan
authors.affiliation: Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Cancer Care Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Berriault
authors.affiliation: Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Cancer Care Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Minh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Do
authors.affiliation: Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Cancer Care Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Department of Health Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.|Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Villeneuve
authors.affiliation: Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Cancer Care Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Demers
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008906:Mining; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D011886:Radon / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D014501:Uranium / Q000009:adverse effects; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014501:Uranium; D011886:Radon
keywords: cohort study; lung cancer; uranium miners