F. Forastiere et al., ADULT MYELOID-LEUKEMIA, GEOLOGY, AND DOMESTIC EXPOSURE TO RADON AND GAMMA-RADIATION - A CASE-CONTROL STUDY IN CENTRAL ITALY, Occupational and environmental medicine, 55(2), 1998, pp. 106-110
Objectives-To investigate whether indoor radon or gamma radiation migh
t play a part in myeloid leukaemia as suggested by studies based on cr
ude geographical or geological data for exposure assessment. Methods-F
or six months radon and gamma radiation was measured with solid state
nuclear track detectors and thermoluminescent dosimeters in dwellings
of 44 adult male cases of acute myeloid leukaemia and 211 controls (al
l subjects deceased). Conditional logistic regression ORs (ORs) and 95
% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated for quartiles of radon
and gamma radiation and for municipality and dwelling characteristics
. Results-The risk of leukaemia was associated with an increasing urba
nisation index (p value for trend=0.008). An increased OR was found am
ong those Living in more modern houses (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.4 to 6.6). Co
nfirming the findings of a previous study in the same area, geological
features bore a positive association with myeloid leukemia, even by a
djusting for level of urbanisation. Contrary to expectations from the
previous study, however, no association appeared between myeloid leuka
emia and radon and gamma radiation; for the highest quartiles of expos
ure, ORs were 0.56 (95% CI 0.2 to 1.4) and 0.52 (95% CI 0.2 to 1.4), r
espectively. Considering only subjects who had lived greater than or e
qual to 20 years in the monitored home and adjusting for urbanisation,
there was still no effect of exposure to radiation. Conclusions-In vi
ew of the limited numbers, the results do not in general refute a poss
ible risk of myeloid leukaemia from exposure to indoor radon or gamma
radiation, but decrease the credibility of such a relation in the area
studied and also of other studies suggesting an effect without monito
ring indoor radiation. Some other fairly strong determinants have appe
ared-that is, level of urbanisation and living in modern houses-that m
ight need further consideration.