Lung cancer risk from radon exposure in dwellings in Sweden: how many cases can be prevented if radon levels are lowered?

PURPOSE: Residential exposure to radon is considered to be the second cause of lung cancer after smoking. The purpose of this study was to estimate the number of lung cancer cases prevented from reducing radon exposure in Swedish dwellings. METHODS: Measurements of indoor radon are available from national studies in 1990 and 2008 with 8992 and 1819 dwellings, considered representative of all Swedish dwellings. These data were used to estimate the distribution of radon in Swedish dwellings. Lung cancer risk was assumed to increase by 16% per 100 becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m(3)) indoor air radon. Estimates of future and saved cases of lung cancer were performed at both constant and changed lung cancer incidence rates over time. RESULTS: The arithmetic mean concentration of radon was 113 Bq/m(3) in 1990 and 90 Bq/m(3) in 2008. Approximately 8% of the population lived in houses with >200 Bq/m(3). The estimated current number of lung cancer cases attributable to previous indoor radon exposure was 591 per year, and the number of future cases attributable to current exposure was 473. If radon levels above 100 Bq/m(3) are lowered to 100 Bq/m(3), 183 cases will be prevented. If levels >200 Bq/m(3) are lowered to 140 Bq/m(3) (mean in the present stratum 100-200 Bq/m(3)), 131 cases per year will be prevented. CONCLUSIONS: Although estimates are somewhat uncertain, 35-40% of the radon attributed lung cancer cases can be prevented if radon levels >100 Bq/m(3) are lowered to 100 Bq/m(3).

A feasible lifestyle program for early intervention in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a pilot study in primary care.

AIM: To evaluate the feasibility of a lifestyle program for early intervention in patients with COPD in a primary care population. METHODS: The study was performed in a Primary Health Care Centre in Western Sweden. During a four-week period, all smokers between 40-70 years of age were invited to answer a questionnaire and to perform spirometry. The intervention program included a specially designed smoking cessation program and programs for physical activity and diet. RESULTS: 84 smokers were included. 42% fulfilled the criteria for COPD. All of the COPD patients were in GOLD stage I and II. Among the COPD subjects, 38% were underweight and 56% had a low fat-free mass - both together indicating malnutrition and the need for nutritional treatment. By the end of the intervention program, 47% of the COPD patients had stopped smoking. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention program was feasible and effective with a very high smoking cessation rate.

A cost-effectiveness analysis of lowering residential radon levels in Sweden-Results from a modelling study.

PURPOSE: Residential exposure to radon is considered as the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. The purpose of this study was to conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis of reducing the indoor radon levels in Sweden from the current reference level of 200 Bq/m3 to the WHO suggested reference level of maximum 100 Bq/m3. METHODS: We constructed a decision-analytic cost-effectiveness model using input data from published literature and administrative records. The model compared the increase in economic costs to the health benefits of lower indoor radon-levels in a Swedish policy context. We estimated the cost per life-year and quality adjusted life year (QALY) gained and assessed the robustness of the results using both deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Including (excluding) costs of added life years the cost per QALY for existing homes was €130,000 (€99,000). For new homes the cost per QALY including (excluding) costs of added life years was €39,000 (€25,000). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that it is not cost-effective to reduce indoor radon levels from 200 Bq/m3 to a maximum of 100 Bq/m3 in existing homes, whereas it is cost-effective for new homes.

Time to pregnancy among partners of men exposed to di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed paternal occupational exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) in association with reduced fertility. METHODS: Men working in three plants with DEHP exposure were studied retrospectively. Male and female employees and their partners were invited to participate if they had reported a pregnancy or an attempt to achieve a pregnancy. Postal questionnaires and telephone interviews were used to collect additional data from the men and women, respectively. Information on time to pregnancy was eligible for 326 pregnancies fathered by 193 men. Male exposure to DEHP during every month of their time to pregnancy was classified into one of three exposure categories. The exposure ranged from <0.1 to 2.1 mg/m3. The fathers of only four pregnancies had DEHP exposure of >0.5 mg/m3 during the time to pregnancy. The pregnancies of employed women with unexposed partners or pregnancies of employed men unexposed during the time to pregnancy formed the reference group. RESULTS: The fecundability ratio for time to pregnancy was 1.07 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.84-1.35] for those with low exposure and 0.97 (95% CI 0.70-1.33) for the highly exposed after adjustment for the father's age, mother's age, and length of recall. When the analyses were restricted to first pregnancy, the fecundability ratio was 1.13 (95% Cl 0.83-1.56) for low exposure and 1.02 (95% CI 0.66-1.59) for high exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Time to pregnancy is not prolonged among couples with paternal exposure to DEHP at a mean exposure level of <0.5 mg/m3.

Association between precipitation upstream of a drinking water utility and nurse advice calls relating to acute gastrointestinal illnesses.

BACKGROUND: The River Göta Älv is a source of fresh-water for the City of Gothenburg (Sweden). We recently identified a clear association between upstream precipitation and indicator bacteria concentrations in the river water outside the intake to the drinking water utility. This study aimed to determine if variation in the incidence of acute gastrointestinal illnesses is associated with upstream precipitation. METHODS: We acquired data, covering 1494 days, on the daily number of telephone calls to the nurse advice line from citizens in Gothenburg living in areas with Göta Älv as a fresh-water supply. We separated calls relating to gastrointestinal illnesses from other medical concerns, and analyzed their association with precipitation using a distributed lag non-linear Poisson regression model, adjusting for seasonal patterns and covariates. We used a 0-21-day lag period for precipitation to account for drinking water delivery times and incubation periods of waterborne pathogens. RESULTS: The study period contained 25,659 nurse advice calls relating to gastrointestinal illnesses. Heavy rainfall was associated with increased calls the same day and around 5-6 days later. Consecutive days of wet weather were also found to be associated with an increase in the daily number of gastrointestinal concerns. No associations were identified between precipitation and nurse advice calls relating to other medical concerns. CONCLUSION: An increase in nurse advice calls relating to gastrointestinal illnesses around 5-6 days after heavy rainfall is consistent with a hypothesis that the cause could be related to drinking water due to insufficient barriers in the drinking water production, suggesting the need for improved drinking water treatment.

Annoyance and worry in a petrochemical industrial area--prevalence, time trends and risk indicators.

In 1992, 1998, and 2006, questionnaires were sent to stratified samples of residents aged 18-75 years living near petrochemical industries (n = 600-800 people on each occasion) and in a control area (n = 200-1,000). The aims were to estimate the long-term prevalence and change over time of annoyance caused by industrial odour, industrial noise, and worries about possible health effects, and to identify risk indicators. In 2006, 20% were annoyed by industrial odour, 27% by industrial noise (1-4% in the control area), and 40-50% were worried about health effects or industrial accidents (10-20% in the control area). Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed significantly lower prevalence of odour annoyance in 1998 and 2006 than in 1992, while industrial noise annoyance increased significantly over time. The prevalence of worry remained constant. Risk of odour annoyance increased with female sex, worry of health effects, annoyance by motor vehicle exhausts and industrial noise. Industrial noise annoyance was associated with traffic noise annoyance and worry of health effects of traffic. Health-risk worry due to industrial air pollution was associated with female sex, having children, annoyance due to dust/soot in the air, and worry of traffic air pollution.

The association of drinking water treatment and distribution network disturbances with Health Call Centre contacts for gastrointestinal illness symptoms.

There are relatively few studies on the association between disturbances in drinking water services and symptoms of gastrointestinal (GI) illness. Health Call Centres data concerning GI illness may be a useful source of information. This study investigates if there is an increased frequency of contacts with the Health Call Centre (HCC) concerning gastrointestinal symptoms at times when there is a risk of impaired water quality due to disturbances at water works or the distribution network. The study was conducted in Gothenburg, a Swedish city with 0.5 million inhabitants with a surface water source of drinking water and two water works. All HCC contacts due to GI symptoms (diarrhoea, vomiting or abdominal pain) were recorded for a three-year period, including also sex, age, and geocoded location of residence. The number of contacts with the HCC in the affected geographical areas were recorded during eight periods of disturbances in the water works (e.g. short stops of chlorine dosing), six periods of large disturbances in the distribution network (e.g. pumping station failure or pipe breaks with major consequences), and 818 pipe break and leak repairs over a three-year period. For each period of disturbance the observed number of calls was compared with the number of calls during a control period without disturbances in the same geographical area. In total about 55, 000 calls to the HCC due to GI symptoms were recorded over the three-year period, 35 per 1000 inhabitants and year, but much higher (>200) for children <3 yrs of age. There was no statistically significant increase in calls due to GI illness during or after disturbances at the water works or in the distribution network. Our results indicate that GI symptoms due to disturbances in water works or the distribution network are rare. The number of serious failures was, however limited, and further studies are needed to be able to assess the risk of GI illness in such cases. The technique of using geocoded HCC data together with geocoded records of disturbances in the drinking water network was feasible.

Cancer incidence in a petrochemical industry area in Sweden.

Emissions from petrochemical industries may contain suspected or established carcinogens. As increased incidence of cancer in residential areas close to petrochemical industries has been reported in the literature, we conducted a study of cancer incidence in Stenungsund, Sweden, where petrochemical industries were established in the mid 1960s. A number of cancer cases in the central parts of Stenungsund were collected from the regional cancer registry for each year between 1974 and 2005. In addition to the total number of cases, the numbers of leukemia, lymphoma, liver cancer, lung cancer, and brain cancer were also collected. Expected numbers for each year were calculated based on age- and sex-specific incidence rates in reference areas. Levels of carcinogenic volatile hydrocarbons (VOC) were estimated from measurements and emission data. A dispersion model was used to classify Stenungsund into a "low" and "high" ethylene level area. Standardized Incidence Ratio (SIR) for all cancer for the entire period was 1.02 (95% CI 0.97-1.08). The occurrence of leukemia, lymphoma, and cancer in the central nervous system was slightly lower than expected for the entire period. SIR for lung cancer was 1.37 (95% CI 1.10-1.69), and SIR for liver cancer was 1.50 (0.82-2.53). VOC levels were low. Taking estimated exposure and demographic factors into account, our assessment is that occurrence of cancer was not affected by industrial emissions in any of the studied sites.

Management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in primary care: a questionnaire survey in western Sweden.

AIM: To assess the primary care management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in relation to COPD guidelines. METHOD: A postal questionnaire was sent out to all Primary Health Care Centres (PHCCs) in western Sweden (n=232). The response rate was 75%. RESULTS: A majority of the PHCCs had a nurse and physician responsible for COPD care. They used spirometry equipment regularly, but only 50% reported that they calibrated it at least weekly. Less than 30% of the PHCCs reported access to a dietician, occupational therapist or physiotherapist. There was a structured smoking cessation program in 50% of the PHCCs. Larger PHCCs were more likely to use spirometry equipment regularly and to have specific personnel for COPD care. CONCLUSION: There is a need to establish structured programs for COPD care including smoking cessation programs for COPD patients with special trained staff. Larger PHCCs have a better infrastructure for providing guideline-defined COPD care.

Lung cancer risks in relation to vegetable and fruit consumption and smoking.

In a case-control study on lung cancer, risk was analysed in relation to smoking habits and frequency of vegetable and fruit consumption. Lung cancer cases in West Sweden and population controls were interviewed using a questionnaire where the frequency of consumption of dietary items and smoking habits were assessed. The material presented comprises 177 female and 359 male confirmed cases of lung cancer and 916 population controls. There was a dose-response relationship in regard to the number of cigarettes smoked and the number of years smoked, the latter factor being more important. After adjustment for number of cigarettes smoked/day and number of years smoked, the risk for those who seldom consumed vegetables was about twice of that among those who consumed vegetables frequently, both among nonsmokers, smokers and former smokers. This risk increase in relation to vegetable consumption also was present for different smoking categories. A similar tendency, although less pronounced, was found for fruit consumption. The results demonstrate that dietary factors are related to the risk for lung cancer, although smoking is the dominant risk factor.

Diet as risk for lung cancer: a Swedish case-control study.

A case-control study was undertaken to study lung cancer in relation to dietary habits, occupational exposure, and living in urban or country areas. Suspect lung cancer cases in West Sweden and population controls were interviewed using a food frequency questionnaire. The study comprised 177 female and 359 male cases and 916 controls. The cases mainly comprised former and current smokers (82% female, 95% male). For the analysis, cases were divided into the histological diagnoses adenocarcinoma and squamous cell, small cell, and adenosquamous cell carcinomas, as well as into smoking categories. A high frequency of consumption of vegetables was significantly related to a lower risk for adenocarcinoma and squamous cell and adenosquamous cell carcinoma among men and adenocarcinoma among women. A low odds ratio in the highest quartile of vegetable consumption in men was seen in all smoking categories. There were no significant protective effects from fruit in the different lung cancer subgroups, although a significant trend was found for heavy-smoking females. A high consumption of milk was related to an increased risk for lung cancer, especially adenosquamous cell carcinoma. The results suggest that the protective effect or risk due to dietary factors may affect different forms of lung cancer. The results from this as well as previous studies suggest a complex interaction between diet and lung cancer risk, involving the types of lung cancer as well as consumption patterns in the population.