May 26, 2000 IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Long-term exposure to radon in
the home is associated with lung cancer risk and presents a
significant environmental health hazard, according to a study
led by researchers at the University of Iowa College of Public
Health. The Iowa Radon Lung Cancer Study, funded by the National
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, included
investigators from the UI, St. John's University in
Collegeville, Minn. and the University of Kansas. The results
are published in the June 1 issue of the American Journal of
Epidemiology. From 1993 to 1997, the researchers studied 1,027
Iowa women -- 413 who were newly diagnosed with lung cancer and
614 "controls" -- ages 40 to 84 who had lived in their homes for
the past 20 years or more. The women studied in both groups
included smokers as well as nonsmokers. Women were studied
because they typically have less occupational exposures to
substances that may cause lung cancer, and historically have
spent more time in the home. The researchers found t