Updated Analysis of Radon Exposure and Lung Cancer Mortality in the Cohort of Newfoundland Fluorspar Miners (1950-2016)

Abstract

The commercial mining of fluorspar in St. Lawrence Newfoundland began in 1933. Miners who worked underground were exposed to high levels of radon progeny, especially before ventilation was introduced into the mines in 1960. The mean cumulative radon exposure for underground miners in this cohort was 380.9 working level months (WLM). A series of studies of this cohort have characterized the increased risks of lung cancer mortality due to radon. We have extended the follow-up of this cohort an additional 15 years to provide additional insights on the risks of low levels of radon exposure, and the modifying effects of time since exposure, age at first exposure, attained age, duration of exposure, and cigarette smoking. The cohort consisted of 1,735 underground and 315 male surface miners who, combined, accrued 81,650 person-years of follow-up. The mortality experience of the cohort was determined from 1950-2016 through record linkage to Canadian national death data. Individual-level estimates of exposure to radon progeny, in WLMs, were determined for each year of employment. We compared the mortality experience of the underground miners to Newfoundland men using the standardized mortality ratio (SMR). Poisson regression models were fit to estimate excess relative risks (ERR) per 100 WLM. There were 236 lung cancer deaths identified, and of these, 221 occurred among underground workers. The SMR for lung cancer among underground miners compared to Newfoundland men was 2.67 (95% CI: 2.33, 3.04). The ERR per 100 WLM for lung cancer mortality, assuming a 5-year exposure lag, was 0.41 (95% CI: 0.23, 0.59). Attained age and time since exposure were important modifiers to the radon-lung cancer relationship. The joint relationship between smoking and radon on lung cancer risk was sub-additive, however, the smoking data were limited and available for only half of the cohort.