Each year in the United States, an estimated 20,000 people die from radon-induced lung cancer, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports. While the health risks of radon are well documented in adults, the radioactive gas also poses a significant risk to infants. By understanding more about radon, its potential effects and how to prevent exposure, you can help protect your child from unnecessary exposure and serious illness or death.
Identification
Radon is an odorless, tasteless and colorless gas that is produced when naturally occurring uranium in soil or water decays, according to the American Cancer Society. Found in outdoor and indoor air, radon is present in high levels in an estimated 1 in 15 homes in the United States, the EPA notes.
Sources
Infant exposure to radon gas originates from two primary sources: soil and water. When radon is released into the soil, contaminated gas rises and enters homes or buildings through cracks in the floor or walls, holes in the foundation of your home or construction joints, the American Cancer Society notes. When trapped inside a home or building, radon accumulates, posing a health risk for adults and infants. This risk is greatest for infants in homes and schools. A nationwide survey of radon levels in schools found about one in five had a classroom with radon above accepted levels of 4pCi/L, or pico Curies per Liter, according to the EPA.
Radon can also enter a home or building through water, although the risk is much smaller compared with radon released from the soil. This most often occurs during showering, when radon particles are released into the air where they can be inhaled, the American Cancer Society notes.
Risks
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking, according to the World Health Organization. As radon gas decays, released particles emit energy as they break down. This can damage lung tissue, increasing the likelihood of developing cancer. At higher risk are smokers since radon decay products stick to tobacco products and can enter the body, the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control notes.
While the association between lung cancer and radon is well known in adults, no scientific evidence suggests children are at greater risk of developing lung cancer, the EPA adds. With smaller lungs and faster breathing rates, infants may inhale more radon compared with adults, potentially increasing the risk from radon exposure, cautions the CDC. Studies in China of children miners do not suggest a greater risk of susceptibility from radon exposure, the CDC adds.
Prevention
The EPA recommends action when radon levels reach between 2 and 4 pCi/L. However, you can take a number of preventative steps to reduce your child's exposure to radon. Purchase a radon detection kit or find a qualified radon tester to assess radon levels in your home. Contact your state radon office for a list of qualified contractors. In addition, seal cracks in floors, walls and the foundation of your home, and improve ventilation by installing a ventilation system to move radon from beneath your home's foundation to the outdoors, the EPA recommends.
Considerations
Levels of radon your infant is exposed to will depend, in part, on where you live, the American Cancer Society notes. Different geographical areas of the United States have different radon levels depending on their underlying geological composition and their potential to release radon.
