Assessment of the health impact related to indoor exposure to radon in France

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas which concentrates in deficiently ventilated habitations. Radon is a well-established human pulmonary carcinogen agent. The exposition of the overall French population to various radon concentrations led scientists to assess its public health impact. This study proposes a predictive assessment of health impact attributable to indoor radon exposure in metropolitan France. Using all available data on the exposure-response between radon exposure and lung cancer mortality risk and on the assessment of indoor radon exposure in France, this study is based on quantitative safety risk assessment method associated to an analysis of both variability and uncertainty, which allows to measure an uncertainty interval related to the prediction. The estimated annual number of lung cancer deaths attributable to indoor radon exposure ranges from 1 234 (90% uncertainty interval, 593-2 156) to 2 913 (90% UI, 2 763-3 221), depending on the model considered. This result shows that indoor radon exposure is a serious public health problem in France. (author)