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R. William Field,¹ Daniel J. Steck,² Mary Ann Parkhurst,³ Judy A. Mahaffey,³ and Michael C.R. Alavanja⁴

¹Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
²Physics Department, St. John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA
³Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA
⁴National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

Abstract

We performed both a laboratory and a field intercomparison of two novel glass-based retrospective radon detectors previously used in major radon case-control studies performed in Missouri and Iowa. The new detectors estimate retrospective residential radon exposure from the accumulation of a long-lived radon decay product, ²¹⁰Pb, in glass. The detectors use track registration material in direct contact with glass surfaces to measure the -emission of a ²¹⁰Pb-decay product, ²¹⁰Po. The detector's track density generation rate (tracks per square centimeter per hour) is proportional to the surface -activity. In the absence of other strong sources of -emission in the glass, the implanted surface -activity should be proportional to the accumulated ²¹⁰Po, and hence to the cumulative radon gas exposure. The goals of the intercomparison were to a) perform collocated measurements using two different glass-based retrospective radon detectors in a controlled laboratory environment to compare their relative response to implanted polonium in the absence of environmental variation, b) perform collocated measurements using two different retrospective radon progeny detectors in a variety of residential settings to compare their detection of glass-implanted polonium activities, and c) examine the correlation between track density rates and contemporary radon gas concentrations. The laboratory results suggested that the materials and methods used by the studies produced similar track densities in detectors exposed to the same implanted ²¹⁰Po activity. The field phase of the intercomparison found excellent agreement between the track density rates for the two types of retrospective detectors. The correlation between the track density rates and direct contemporary radon concentration measurements was relatively high, considering that no adjustments were performed to account for either the residential depositional environment or glass surface type. Preliminary comparisons of the models used to translate track rate densities to average long-term radon concentrations differ between the two studies. Further calibration of the retrospective detectors' models for interpretation of track rate density may allow the pooling of studies that use glass-based retrospective radon detectors to determine historic residential radon exposures. Key words: case-control studies, dose-response relationship (radiation) , epidemiologic methods, epidemiologic studies, lung neoplasms, radon, radon progeny, smoking. Environ Health Perspect 107:905-910 (1999) . [Online 15 October 1999]

http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/1999/107p905-910field/ abstract.html

Address correspondence to R.W. Field, College of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, N222 Oakdale Hall, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 USA. Telephone: (319) 335-4413. Fax: (319) 335-4747. E-mail: bill-field@uiowa.edu

We thank J. Huber, C. Greaves, G. Buckner, J. Jesse, and E. Berger for their assistance with data collection. We also thank C. Lynch and J. Lubin for their reviews of previous versions of this manuscript.

NCI contract 263-MQ-820009 and NIEHS grant P30 ESO5605 supported this research. This report is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the official views of the NCI, NIEHS, or NIH.

Received 3 May 1999 ; accepted 2 July 1999.