Abstract
significant contributor to natural background ionizing radiation exposure, accounting for over 50
% of human exposure. Prolonged exposure to radon gas has been conclusively linked to various
health issues such as lung cancer, leukemia, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases
(COPD). Despite this, there is a scarcity of comprehensive studies examining the quality of evidence
establishing an association between indoor radon exposure and these health problems.
Objective: We performed a systematic review of peer-reviewed research articles to explore the
current evidence on the potential association between residential radon exposure and human
health, specifically focusing on lung cancer, COPD, and leukemia.
Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted on PubMed and Google Scholar using MeSH
terms and keywords (residential radon, radon AND lung cancer, radon AND COPD, radon AND
leukemia). The inclusion criteria focused on studies that analyzed the link between residential
radon exposure and lung cancer, leukemia and COPD. We searched for peer-reviewed studies
published from 2010 to 2024. Studies carried out in occupational settings were not considered.
The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
(PRISMA) framework to select relevant studies. Reviewers independently collected data,
resolving disagreements through discussion. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment,
Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach was used to evaluate evidence quality, and the
study was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42024550735.
Results: The evidence indicating an associative or causal link between indoor radon and lung
cancer was found to be of high quality or conclusive, particularly with stronger support from casecontrol
studies. The findings for COPD and leukemia were inconclusive, indicating that additional
research is necessary to establish a definitive link between residential radon exposure and these
health outcomes. These associations was deemed moderate or inconclusive primarily due to
methodological shortcomings, conflicting findings and the prevalence of weak study designs and
poor exposure data. The existing evidence on the potential connection between residential radon
exposure and the risk of COPD and leukemia is currently limited. In order to definitively confirm
or disprove this association, more studies are needed. Further research is crucial to elucidate these
relationships and to guide the development of effective public health interventions.