Estimate of lifetime excess lung cancer risk due to 222Rn daughters exposure in Korea

Lifetime excess lung cancer risk due to 222Rn daughters exposure in Korea was estimated by a modified relative risk projection model suggested in the BEIR IV report. Age-specific lung cancer risk and lifetime baseline risk of lung cancer mortality under all causes of death were evaluated from the Korean demographic data. The lifetime excess risk of lung cancer mortality attributable to indoor radon daughters exposure was estimated to be about 2.3 x 10-4 per WLM at a constant annual exposure to radon daughters. When considering the annual mean indoor equivalent concentration of radon daughters to be 20 Bq.m-3 in Korea, the annual frequency of excess lung cancer mortality attributable to exposure to this concentration for mean occupancy of 7500 h.y-1 would result in about 2300 cases per total Korean population in 1989. (Author)