RISKS FROM RADON IN HOMES June 2003 USEPA

EPA Estimated Radon Lung Cancer Risks Updated! The U.S. EPA has updated the estimates of lung cancer risks from indoor radon based on the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) latest report on radon, the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR) VI Report (1999). EPA worked closely with the Science Advisory Board (SAB), an independent panel of scientific experts, to determine how best to apply the risk models developed by the BEIR VI committee. The SAB's advice and recommendations were incorporated modifying and extending the methods and approaches used in BEIR VI to construct a single model yielding results midway between the results obtained using the two models preferred by the BEIR VI committee. The Agency's updated calculation of a best estimate of annual lung cancer deaths from radon is about 21,000 (with an uncertainty range of 8,000 to 45,000), which is consistent with the estimates of the BEIR VI Report. A single risk model also permitted the Agency to calculate a numerical estimate of the risk per unit exposure [lung cancer deaths per working level month (WLM)] which will be used to update estimated lung cancer risks from radon in various publications, including A Citizen's Guide to Radon. The full text of the updated risk assessment, EPA Assessment of Risks from Radon in Homes (EPA 402-R-03-003) is available as a downloadable Adobe Acrobat PDF file - www.epa.gov/radiation/docs/assessment/radon_in_homes.pdf