Table 1.
Breakdown of Studies Included
| Title | Study | No | Population | Minimum Employment Period | The Study Itself Analyses Tobacco Consumption | Measuring | Results | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Residential radon and COPD. An ecological study in Galicia, Spain25 | Ecological | 313 Galician municipalities | General population | Disregarded | No. A proxy is used. It is estimated that there is no confusion because there is no radon-tobacco relationship | COPD (prevalence and admissions due to exacerbation) | No association prevalence: 0.95, CI95: (0.92–0.97) per 100 Bq/m3 Association risk admission: 1.04, CI95 (1.00–1.10) 100 Bq/m3 |
| 2 | Mortality from internal and external radiation exposure in a cohort of male German uranium millers, 1946–200816 | Cohorts | 4054 | Miners | 6 months | No | COPD | No association. SMR: 0.77, CI95: (0.54; 0.99) |
| 3 | Silica dust, radon and death from non-malignant respiratory diseases in German uranium miners17 | Cohorts | 58,982 | Miners | 6 months | No | COPD | No association. RER: 0.007 (p: 0.41) |
| 4 | Mortality and ionising radiation exposures among workers employed at the Fernald Feed Materials Production Center (1951–1985)13 | Cohorts | 6409 | Miners | 1 month | No | COPD | No association. Men working by hours: SMR 1.01, CI95 (0.81–1.25). Male employees: SMR 0.43, CI95 (0.25–0.69). Female employees 1.29, CI95 (0.64 to 2.31) |
| 5 | Radon and COPD mortality in the American Cancer Society Cohort24 | Cohorts | 811,961 | General population | Disregarded | Yes | COPD | Association: HR per 100 Bq/m3 1.13. CI95: (1.05–1.21) |
| 6 | A cohort study of uranium millers and miners of Grants, New Mexico, 1979–200518,22 | Cohorts | 2745 | Miners | 6 months | No. It is reported that high numbers of smokers were found in other studies conducted in miners in the country | NMRD and chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthma subgroup | Association: NMRD 1.42 CI95(1.14–1.76) and chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthma subgroup 1.78 CI95 (1.24–2.48) The stratification shows that the increase in mortality depends on the underground miners |
| 7 | An update of mortality from all causes among white uranium miners from the Colorado Plateau Study Group14 | Cohorts | 3238 | Miners | 1 month | Yes | COPD, only in text, data from the tables are differently categorized | Association of SMR 2.7, CI95 (2.0–3.5) in the 1980s–1990s remaining high in the last decade of monitoring. No increase was observed with the increase in years worked. |
| 8 | Mortality of Sardinian lead and zinc miners: 1960–8822 | Cohorts | 4740 | Miners | 2 consecutive months | No. Although they refer to the study (21), in which their population is included in it | NMRD | Association. SMR 3.08 CI95 (2.74–3.45) |
| 9 | Mortality in uranium miners in west Bohemia: a long-term cohort study15 | Cohorts | 4320 | Miners | 4 years | No. A percentage of smokers from a Czech mine is provided to indicate that it is likely to be higher than in the general population | NMRD | Association: Observed/Expected: 1.21 with a non-significant p until 25 years after first employment, from which it becomes significant |
| 10 | Lung cancer mortality and airways obstruction among metal miners exposed to silica and low levels of radon daughters19 | Cohorts | 1741 | Miners | Not known | Yes | NMRD | Association. Mine A SMR 1.64 CI95 (0.93–2.65) and mine B with SMR 3.51 CI95 (2.22–5.21). Mine with higher radon levels: Mine A |
| 11 | Mortality experience of haematite mine workers in China21 | Cohorts | 6444 | Miners | 1 year | Yes | NMRD | No numerical data are provided, only indicates increased mortality for silicosis and other non-malignant respiratory disease |
| 12 | Mortality among pyrite miners with low-level exposure to radon daughters20 | Cohorts | 1899 | Miners | Not known | No. It is commented that cases of bladder and laryngeal cancer, intimately related to tobacco, are not different from those of the general population | NMRD | Association. SMR: 1.73 CI95 (1.35–2.31) |
| 13 | Mortality risk in the French cohort of uranium miners: extended follow-up 1946–199923 | Cohorts | 5086 | Miners | 1 year | Data of their own cohort are not provided. A case-control study of miners in France is used as reference | NMRD | No association. SMR: 0.98 CI95 (0.74–1.27) |
Abbreviations: COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; NMRD, non-malignant respiratory disease; SMR, standardized mortality ratio; CI, confidence interval; HR, hazard ratio; RER, relative excess risk.