氡与癌症Radon and cancer.docVIP

Radon and cancer氡与癌症Fact sheet N°291Updated September 2009 Key facts重要事实 Radon is the second most important cause of lung cancer in many countries. 在许多国家中，氡是肺癌的第二种最重要病因。 Radon is estimated to cause between 3% and 14% of all lung cancers, depending on the average radon level in a country. 根据一个国家中的平均氡水平，氡估计造成所有肺癌的3%至14%。 Radon is much more likely to cause lung cancer in people who smoke, and is the primary cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. 氡更有可能使吸烟者罹患肺癌，而且是非吸烟者中肺癌的主要病因。 Radon-induced lung cancers are mainly caused by low and moderate rather than by high radon concentrations, because of the large number of people exposed to indoor radon in homes with such low concentrations. 氡诱发的肺癌主要是中低浓度、而不是高浓度的氡造成的，因为有许多人在家中接触这种低浓度的室内氡。 The lower the radon concentration in a home, the lower the risk as there is no known threshold below which radon exposures carries no risk. 家中的氡浓度越低，风险也就越小，但尚不了解氡接触低于何浓度才无风险。 What is radon? 氡是什么？ Radon is a chemically inert, naturally occurring radioactive gas. It has no smell, colour or taste. Radon is produced from the natural radioactive decay of uranium, which is found in rocks and soil. Radon can also be found in water. 氡是一种天然产生的放射性惰性气体，它无色、无味、无臭。它产生于可在岩石和土壤中找到的铀自然的放射性衰变。氡也可在水中找到。Radon escapes easily from the ground into the air, where it disintegrates through short-lived decay products called radon progeny. As radon progeny decay, they emit radioactive alpha particles and attach to aerosols, dust and other particles in the air. As we breathe, radon progeny are deposited on the cells lining the airways where the alpha particles can damage DNA and potentially cause lung cancer. 氡很容易从地下释放到空气中并通过称为氡子核的短命衰变产物分解。氡子核在衰变时发射出放射性阿尔法粒子，这些粒子可附着于空气中的浮质、灰尘及其它粒子。当我们呼吸时，氡子核可堆积在呼吸道壁层的细胞上，而阿尔法粒子可破坏DNA并有可能引起肺癌。 Outdoor radon levels are usually very low. The average outdoor radon level varies between 5 and 15 Bq/m3 [Radon radioactivity is measured in Becquerel Bq . One Becquerel corresponds to the transformation disintegration of one atomic nucleus pe