Radon is a cancer-causing radioactive gas that's naturally emitted from soil and rocks. It is colorless and odorless and present everywhere. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, radon gas exposure causes thousands of deaths due to lung cancer every year. It is detectable only with a special radon detector kit.
Respiratory Illness
As radon decays it emits tiny particles that get trapped in the lining of the lungs when you breathe it in. The particles cause damage to the lungs, the symptoms of which may first appear as coughing and difficulty breathing. The level of respiratory distress depends largely on the amount of radon exposure, and a greater risk of lung cancer is present with the combination of radon and cigarette smoke according to the National Cancer Institute.
Children may be more susceptible to radon lung poisoning than adults, according to the University of Minnesota Division of Environmental Health Sciences. Children have different breathing patterns than adults and therefore inhale larger amounts of the gas. People with asthma, fibrosis and emphysema are at greater risk of developing worse symptoms when exposed to high concentrations of radon gas.
Lung Cancer
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, after smoking, reports the Environmental Protection Agency. The effects of radon gas have been thoroughly studied in coal miners working underground who were directly exposed to high levels of the cancer-causing agent. Unlike other carcinogens that are believed to cause cancer, radon is proven to cause cancer in humans. When combined with smoking, the risk for developing lung cancer increases so that it is greater than the odds of contracting the disease from one substance. According to the National Cancer Institute, the majority of lung cancer deaths due to radon occur in smokers.
Stomach Cancer
When water is retrieved from underground sources such as wells, the concentration of radon typically is high. Upper floors in the house that receive water from a well usually have higher concentrations of radon than the lower levels because of the dissolution of radon from the water, allowing the gases to rise. According to the University of Minnesota, citing a 1999 National Academy of Sciences study on the health effects of radon, nearly 11 percent of fatal cancers caused by radon were due to stomach cancer related to drinking water contaminated by radon. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that radon is particularly strong in areas that receive groundwater that flows through granite and gravel formations. In addition to direct exposure to the stomach, a well water supply used for showering, laundry and washing can trigger the release of radon gas, according to the CDC.
Member Comments