In lab studies using human cells, radon and its progeny have also been shown to cause damage to chromosomes packets of DNA and other types of cellular damage. These types of changes are often seen in cancer cells. Several national and international agencies study different substances in the environment to determine if they can cause cancer. A substance that causes cancer or helps cancer grow is called a carcinogen. The American Cancer Society looks to these organizations to evaluate the risks based on evidence from laboratory, animal, and human research studies.
Based on animal and human evidence, several expert agencies have evaluated the cancer-causing potential of radon. One of its goals is to identify causes of cancer. The EPA lists radon as the second leading cause of lung cancer and the number one cause of lung cancer among people who don't smoke, estimating it is responsible for about 20, lung cancer deaths every year. For more information on the classification systems used by these agencies, see Known and Probable Human Carcinogens.
But there may be things you can do to lower your exposure. For most people, the largest potential source of radon exposure is in their home. You can check radon levels in your home to determine if you need to take steps to lower them. Do-it-yourself radon detection kits can be ordered through the mail or bought in hardware or home supply stores. The kits are placed in the home for a period of time and then mailed to a lab for analysis. Short-term kits are usually left in place for several days before being mailed.
Long-term kits, which may give a more accurate assessment of average radon levels over the course of a year, are usually left in place for at least 3 months. You can also hire a professional to test radon levels in your home. Qualified contractors can be found through state radon offices, which are listed on the EPA website.
The EPA recommends taking steps to lower radon levels if test results show levels of 4. This value refers to the annual average. If you are using a do-it-yourself test, the EPA recommends using a short-term kit first. If the test result is 4. If the result is still high, you should take steps to fix the problem. The EPA recommends that you have a qualified contractor fix your home because lowering high radon levels requires specific technical knowledge and special skills.
Without the proper equipment or technical knowledge, you could actually increase your radon level or create other potential hazards and additional costs. If you decide to do the work yourself, be sure you have the proper training and equipment. You can get more information from your state radon office or from qualified contractors. Because radon is known to be a health hazard, underground mines now have features to lower levels. If you are concerned that your exposure might be above the allowed limits, contact your workplace safety officer or these agencies.
The combined effects of cigarette smoking and radon exposure raise the risk of lung cancer much more than either exposure alone.
If you think you might have been exposed to high levels of radon over long periods of time, talk with your doctor about whether you should get regular health checkups and tests to look for possible signs of lung cancer. Be aware of possible symptoms of lung cancer, such as shortness of breath, a new or worsening cough, pain or tightness in the chest, hoarseness, or trouble swallowing, and tell your doctor if you start to have any of these symptoms.
For uranium miners, millers, and transporters who have certain health problems as a result of exposure to radon, the United States government has established the Radiation Exposure Compensation Program.
The program offers a lump sum payment to people with lung cancer and selected non-cancerous lung diseases, if certain criteria are met. Information about the program is available at www. The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team. Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
ToxFAQs for Radon. Accessed at www. Residential radon exposure and risk of lung cancer in Missouri. Am J Public Health. Radon exposure and cancers other than lung cancer in underground miners: A collaborative analysis of 11 studies. J Natl Cancer Inst. Environmental Protection Agency. Sci Total Environ. Am J Epidemiol. Domestic radon exposure and risk of childhood cancer: A prospective census-based cohort study. Underground basements are especially concerning.
To build the basement, your home builder dug deep into the earth and potentially made contact with radioactive elements like uranium. Radon gas will rise into the home through the smallest of basement wall or floor cracks. Similarly, rocks beneath your home contribute a large portion of the radon escaping into the house. Rocks and stones contain veins of radioactive materials that decay into radon.
While radon released from rocks outside dissipates in the outdoor air, the radon in the rocks below your foundation is released directly through small cracks into the home. While crawlspaces can suffer from a radon problem, cement foundations, whether slab or basement, are particularly concerning because of cement's porous nature. Coupled with any cracks in the foundation and gaps in your flooring and around pipes, and radon has easy access to your home.
A DIY solution is filling in every crack and gap with caulk to limit radon's access to your living space. Any natural stone in your home may contain trace amou nts of radioactive elements like uranium and radium. These elements are naturally occurring, and decay into other radioactive elements like radon gas.
The radioactive makeup of any given slab of stone varies, and you generally have to be in constant proximity to suffer from the health effects of radon gas in natural stone. The most common culprit of natural stone radon gas emissions is granite. Granite countertops create only a small fraction of the gas inside your home, but as there is no safe level of radon, any emission is dangerous emission.
If you have well water sourced from an aquifer, there is a chance the water contains radon. Well water is in close contact with rocks and soil containing radon, and this is carried into your home. The gas is released into your indoor air when you brush your teeth, wash the dishes and take a shower. While, again, creating only a small fraction of the radon gas in your home, it is still concerning, and you should mitigate the problem. Because radon can be found outdoors in low levels, everyone is exposed to it at some point.
But it's much more dangerous inside a home, where the gas is more confined and therefore concentrated at significantly higher levels. You can start with short-term usually two-day radon testing with a home kit; the sample you collect is sent for analysis, with results mailed to you within a few weeks. You can also do long-term testing, which gives you a more accurate picture of the radon levels in your home — the test measures air quality over a period of about 90 days.
Since radon levels can fluctuate frequently, it's usually best to do a long-term test. Long-term tests can also be performed with a home kit. I recommend people check the levels only if they have a finished basement or otherwise spend a lot of time in their basement.
When testing, carefully follow all instructions on the kit. Both short- and long-term tests can be done simultaneously. Checking water for radon requires a separate test.
Consult your county health department for information on testing your water, or contact a radon specialist. If the radon levels in your home exceed 4 picocuries per liter, you should take steps to reduce the radon level as soon as possible.
Over time, radon will disappear due to radioactive decay.
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