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Review
. 2025 Sep 4;46(3):bgaf057.
doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgaf057.

Uranium mining and lung cancer: a legacy of the nuclear age

Jonathan M Samet  1 , David B Richardson  2
Affiliations
Review

Uranium mining and lung cancer: a legacy of the nuclear age

Jonathan M Samet et al. Carcinogenesis. .

Abstract

The Nuclear Age spurred widespread mining of uranium for production of weapons and for nuclear power. The widespread mining of uranium, with historically limited control of radiation exposures, has resulted in high rates of lung cancer among the former miners. This paper reviews the long and ongoing story of lung cancer among miners of uranium.

Keywords: lung cancer; nuclear; uranium.

Plain language summary

This paper reviews the long and ongoing story of lung cancer among miners of uranium and other ores exposed to radon and its progeny, which come from the decay of uranium.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared

Figures

Graphical Abstract
Graphical Abstract
Figure 1
Figure 1
Uranium-234 decay series, including short-lived radon progeny from radon-222 through lead-210 [30]
Figure 2
Figure 2
Estimated ERR of lung cancer mortality in male miners hired in 1960 or later (per 100 WLM) [16]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Zoellner T. Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock That Shaped the World. New York, NY: Penguin Publishing Group, 2010.
    1. Samet JM. Radon and lung cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 1989;81:745–58. 10.1093/jnci/81.10.745 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Santos LJ. Chain Reactions: A Hopeful History of Uranium. London, UK: Icon Books, 2024.
    1. Williams S. Spies in the Congo: America's Atomic Mission in World War II. London, UK: Hurst Publishers, 2016.
    1. Radiation Effects Research Foundation . Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF). https://www.rerf.or.jp/en/. (22 July 2024, date last accessed).

MeSH terms