Radon Exposure Tied to Higher Risk for Childhood Leukemia

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 16, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Exposure to radon levels, even below current recommended levels, heightens the risk for childhood leukemia, according to a study published in the December 2024 issue of Science of the Total Environment.

Matthew Bozigar, from Oregon State University in Corvallis, and colleagues investigated the association between domestic radon exposure and childhood cancer risk in 727 U.S. counties (14 states; 41,599 people aged 0 to 19 years). 

The researchers found that results from fully adjusted spatiotemporal statistical models showed a higher risk for leukemia (relative risks [RRs], 1.05; 95 percent credible interval [CrI], 1.00 to 1.09) among both sexes and males (RR, 1.06; 95 percent CrI, 1.00 to 1.12) from a 50 Bq/m³ (1.35 pCi/L) increase in radon concentration the year prior. Risk was higher for both sexes (RR, 1.08) and females (RR, 1.12) for radon exposures ≥74 Bq/m³ (2.00 pCi/L) the year prior. There were no associations for other cancer sites from prior year radon exposures.

“County-level childhood leukemia risk in both sexes was associated with average radon levels below U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines recommending mitigation (148 Bq/m3 or 4.00 pCi/L),” the authors write.

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