Abstract

The current study investigated United States county-level ecological data concerning radon concentrations and disease mortality from two Centers for Disease Control (CDC) databases. The study aimed to determine if there is a relationship between indoor radon concentration and neurodegenerative disease mortality. Three neurodegenerative diseases were investigated, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Multiple Sclerosis. Additional analyses were conducted concerning nervous system diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, cancers, bronchus and lung cancer, and central nervous system cancer. Pearson bivariate correlations revealed that counties with higher radon concentrations also had significantly higher mortality rates for all three investigated neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, a multiple linear regression revealed that Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Multiple Sclerosis were all significant predictors of radon concentration and accounted for 12.3% of radon concentration data. The current study also found that nervous system diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, and central nervous system cancer were all positively correlated with radon concentration. These results support the idea that radon exposure is related to mortality from neurodegenerative disease. They also provide support that radon exposure is related to nervous system diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, and central nervous system cancer. Future studies are needed to determine if the relationships identified in this study are causal in nature.

Semester/Year of Award

Spring 5-7-2024

Mentor

Adam L. Lawson

Mentor Department Affiliation

Psychology

Access Options

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelors

Department

Psychology

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