Lack of Evidence for an Association between the Frequency of Mutants or Translocations in Circulating Lymphocytes and Exposure to Random Gas in the Home

Radon measurements in the living room and main bedroom of 41 houses in the town of Street, Somerset, England have been made. Exposure levels, weighted using the formula of the UK National Radiological Protection Board, of <tex-math>$19-484\ {\rm Bq}\ {\rm m}^{-3}$</tex-math> (about <latex>$\text{half}>100\ {\rm Bq}\ {\rm m}^{-3}$</latex> were found. Blood samples were obtained from a total of 66 occupants in these homes, and the frequency of genetic alterations in lymphocytes was estimated using two different end points. Gene mutations at the hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase locus were determined in T lymphocytes for 65 subjects using a clonal assay, and the frequency of the BCL-2 t(14;18) translocation, a chromosomal event associated with leukemia/lymphoma, was estimated in lymphocytes using a polymerase chain reaction-based technique for 64 subjects. In neither case was a significant correlation with radon levels in the home found, in contrast to our earlier observation with a smaller series.