A recent study published in Neurology reveals that radon exposure is associated with a moderately increased risk of stroke in middle-aged and older women.
The research, led by Sophie F. Buchheit from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, is part of the Women’s Health Initiative, a prospective cohort study involving postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 years at baseline. The study aimed to explore the connection between home radon exposure and the risk of stroke. Radon concentrations were measured as two-day, indoor, lowest living-level average radon concentrations in picocuries per liter (pCi/L).
Over a mean follow-up period of 13.4 years, the researchers identified 6,979 incident strokes among 158,910 women without a history of stroke at baseline. The incidence rates for strokes per 100,000 woman-years were 333, 343, and 349 for radon concentrations of <2, 2 to 4, and >4 pCi/L, respectively. Women living at concentrations of 2 to 4 and >4 pCi/L had higher covariate-adjusted risks for incident stroke compared to those living at concentrations <2 pCi/L (hazard ratios [95 percent confidence intervals], 1.06 [0.99 to 1.13] and 1.14 [1.05 to 1.22], respectively). Notably, stroke risk significantly increased at concentrations ranging from 2 to 4 pCi/L, even below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Radon Action Level for mitigation of 4 pCi/L. While the associations were slightly stronger for ischemic than hemorrhagic stroke, they remained robust in sensitivity analyses.
The study suggests that confirming these findings could offer an opportunity to impact public health by addressing a prevalent environmental risk factor for stroke. It may prompt a reconsideration of existing radon policies to mitigate potential health risks associated with exposure.
