Risk of lung cancer from radon exposure: contribution of recently published studies of uranium miners

The lifetime excess absolute risk (LEAR) calculated from occupational exposure studies is close to 5 × 10−4 per working level month (WLM) (14 × 10−5 per hm J/m3). LEAR values estimated using risk models derived from both miners and domestic exposure studies are in good agreement after accounting for factors such as sex, attained age, and exposure scenario. A sensitivity analysis highlighted the high dependence of background mortality rates on LEAR estimates. Using lung cancer rates among Euro-American males instead of the ICRP reference rates (males and females, and Euro-American and Asian populations), the estimated LEAR is close to 7 × 10−4 per WLM (20 × 10−5 per hm J/m3).