Lung cancer incidence in a Chinese high background area--epidemiological results and theoretical interpretation.

A survey of inhabitant exposures arising from the inhalation of radon and thoron daughters, and lung cancer mortality has been carried out in two adjacent areas in Guangdong province, China, designated as the "high background" and the "control" area. Annual exposure rates are 0.38 WLM/yr in the high background, and 0.16 WLM/yr in the control area, while age-adjusted mortality rates are 2.7 per 10(5) living people of all ages in the high background, and 2.9 per 10(5) in the control area. From this data we conclude that we are unable to determine the excess lung cancer rate over normal fluctuations below a cumulative exposure of about 15 WLM. This conclusion is supported by lung cancer mortality data from an Austrian high background area.