Abstract
Background/Aim: López-Abente et al. (2017) found a linear significant relationship between residential concentration of radon and mortality for lung, stomach and brain cancer in women in Galicia (Spain). Karsten et al. (2015) presented a method applied for developing a high-resolution 222Rn flux map for Europe, based on a parameterization of gas production depending on soil properties, uranium content, moisture and transport in the soil. Aim of our exploratory study was to check association between 222Rn flux values and standartised mortality rates (SMR) of lung cancer in men and women in 48 regions of Spain. Methods: 222Rn flux data were calculated as per Karsten et al. (2015) methods. The epidemiological data on lung cancer mortality in men and women by region were taken from free available source (Carlos III Institute). Paired t-differences were used to observe the statistically significant differences in seasonal variations of 222Rn flux. Regression analysis was performed to observe the relationship of epidemiological data with 222Rn flux. Results: Statistically significant differences were found between seasonal variations: winter / spring vs. summer / autumn (but not between winter and spring or summer and autumn) in 222Rn flux parameters. The higher values were related to summer and autumn period (by a factor 1.4 in average). Regression analyses reveled statistically significant associations between SMR of lung cancer in men and Rn flux in summer/autumn: R2=0.15, p=0.007), winter/spring: R2=0.10, p=0.002). No any significant relationship was found for women in this study. Conclusions: In spite of study limitations (not availability of epidemiological data for the periods posteriors to measurements to perform time series analyses with associations related on time lags); 222Rn flux data could be used as proxies comparable to 222Rn concentrations. Further comparative studies with similar data on indoor concentration vs. flux are to be performed and analyses with corresponding epidemiological data.
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