Radon

Radon Health Cures -- Who Knew?

I thought I knew everything there was to know about the effects of radon on health, having written a long chapter on radon in my book Hyping Health Risks (2008). But until I came across a lively graphic essay a few days ago, I had no idea that, for over half a century, people suffering from a wide array of ailments have been flocking to decommissioned gold and uranium mines in Montana to soak up the healing radiation deep in the earth.

In Germany And Austria, Visits To Radon Health Spas Are Covered By Health Insurance

It’s interesting that the glossy Bad Gastein brochure nowhere mentions the fact that radon is considered a known human lung carcinogen by health agencies, including the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the National Cancer Institute, and the Environmental Protection Agency. So there is an apparent contradiction between the advertised health benefits of radon therapy and the widely-publicized dangers of radon in homes. How are we to reconcile these two different effects attributed to radon?

Radon Causes Cancer. These Tourists Drink It Up.

Most of us go to great lengths to avoid carcinogens...

Radon exposure is rising steadily within the modern North American residential environment, and is increasingly uniform across seasons

Human-made buildings can artificially concentrate radioactive radon gas of geologic origin, exposing occupants to harmful alpha particle radiation emissions that damage DNA and increase lung cancer risk.

What is radon?

Radon is an invisible gas formed in the Earth’s crust. It surrounds every one of us as part of the air we breathe.

Don't Fear Radon Concerns At Home; They're Overblown

There is fear circulating about the risk of lung cancer due to inhaled radon gas, as a result of the widespread publicity given to studies that link lung cancer incidence to radon concentration using a "linear no-threshold" (LNT) model. This model which many scientists say is baseless and should be scrapped predicts an alarming excess of cancers, even at low radon levels.

RADON - The Hidden Environmental Hazard

Radon exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Instead of being worried about airport scanners and pat-downs, perhaps we ought to be paying more attention to ensuring that our homes are as safe as possible!

The hidden killer in your home – and how to avoid it

As Radon is emitted from the ground, it quickly dilutes in the atmosphere into relatively harmless concentrations. But in confined and unventilated spaces in buildings, in basements and in underground mines, it’s concentration levels can become dangerously high.

Have you tested your home for cancer-causing radon gas?

As a society, we have a well-recognised problem with environmentally-induced cancers. Testing your home for radon gas is an effective prevention strategy and radon is one of the most easily eradicated causes of lung cancer. The problem is most people do not know this.

In Highlighting Radon's Risks, Context Needed

Every January, the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies hit the airwaves to tell us that radon gas can kill and that every home should be tested. But that message skips over many complexities surrounding the risks from radon. Radon is a heavy, radioactive gas that can seep out of the soil into basements and other parts of a house. There's no question that inhaling a lot of radon is bad for you, but some scientists think such statements could use a little context.

My $1,200 Radon Job

Despite the risks, radon until recently has ranked pretty low on many homeowners' action lists, including mine. You can't see, smell or taste it, which makes it -- unlike mold -- easy to ignore. The federal government recommends but doesn't mandate remediation for homes with elevated levels. And let's face it: In the scheme of renovations, there are sexier ways to drop 1,200 bucks than drilling a fat hole in the basement. But as homeowners and builders rush to make dwellings healthier on all fronts -- from nontoxic paints and organic lawns to formaldehyde-free kitchen cabinets -- radon is emerging as a hot button in both new construction and resales.

Radiation in Your Own Home?

What is radon? And why are they saying all those bad things about it?

Radon – A Brief Discussion

A large portion of the general population is under the misconception that the frequently published risks associated with radon are well accepted scientific facts. In reality, the vast majority of well designed studies do not support policy or positions that exposures to indoor radon pose a significant threat to health, and indeed, the majority of those studies indicate that, at concentrations typically seen in homes, as the level of radon increases, the risk of lung cancer goes down, not up. The following section is a brief discussion of how radon occurs and the science-based risks associated with radon exposure.

Radon, Smoking, and Lung Cancer: The Need to Refocus Radon Control Policy

Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, and the risk is significantly higher for smokers than for nonsmokers. More than 85% of radon-induced lung cancer deaths are among smokers. The most powerful approach for reducing the public health burden of radon is shaped by 2 overarching principles: public communication efforts that promote residential radon testing and remediation will be the most cost effective if they are primarily directed at current and former smokers; and focusing on smoking prevention and cessation is the optimal strategy for reducing radon-induced lung cancer in terms of both public health gains and economic efficiency. Tobacco control policy is the most promising route to the public health goals of radon control policy.

Radon: Unmasking the Invisible Killer

Radon exposure is a serious health threat, but we can work together to reduce the risk. As we continue to roll out our national strategies, you can do your part by testing your home, and if the radon level is unsafe, take action to reduce it. Together, we can unmask the invisible killer and eliminate lung cancer caused by radon.

The Radon Threat Is Still With Us

Since the late 1980s, a half million Americans have died from radon-induced lung cancer, including a significant number who never smoked a day in their lives. You may have heard of radon more than 20 years ago when dangerous levels were first found in homes across the country. But the risks posed by this gas still have not been addressed in much of the nation.

Trump Wants the EPA Radon Program Cut. So Do Some Scientists

At least one of Trump's proposed budget cuts targets a program that some scientists have been questioning for decades: residential radon risk. That program, which sets the standards for risk and protection from radon gas, would be completely zeroed out. Now, according to the EPA, the WHO, and many other big public health organizations, radon is second only to cigarette smoking as a leading cause for lung cancer. The EPA says radon gas causes 21,000 deaths every year. Yet some critics in the health care profession say that’s all baloney.

Undermining our lives? – Radon seeps into the homes of millions of people around the world. Its effects may have been seriously exaggerated

BERNARD COHEN has stirred up a hornet’s nest. He has completed the biggest ever study into what is supposedly the most important cause of lung cancer other than smoking—radon gas. His investigation, which drew on data from almost half a million homes throughout the US, suggests that below a certain level the risk of contracting lung cancer from radon is zero. But far from rejoicing at his findings, researchers and health officials on both sides of the Atlantic are rubbishing them.

What Wired Gets Dangerously Wrong About Radon

Radon gas in the home and other indoor spaces is a serious hazard, according to the World Health Organization, the American Lung Association, the European Radon Association, the National Cancer Institute, and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Yet in a puzzling story last week, Wired suggested that eliminating the EPA’s radon programs would somehow decrease the risk of lung cancer. It is difficult to connect the dots as to how the story arrived at this conclusion.

Radon exposure: 3 things you need to know

You might be aware of radon exposure if you work in the mining industry, live in an area with high concentrations of this gas or are about to sell your home and the government requires you to get a certified inspection. You may also remember radon from a time you saw it all the way to the right of the periodic table, on the noble gases section. Or maybe the name has come up in conversations, as more research is done and the name of this gas is more present in the media.

Radon.com

Get all the facts about radon, its risks and how to protect yourself and your family

Radon.org

Radon gas is a serious health concern as a leading cause of lung cancer. Fortunately, homeowners can take steps to reduce levels of the gas if testing indicates high amounts.

RadonAway

RadonAway introduced to the radon industry the first radon-specific fan. Since then, our fans have become the most popular, reliable and effective radon fans in the world. We continue our commitment to meet the needs of the radon mitigation industry by providing high quality fans, accessories and supplies backed by rapid, courteous technical support and service.

RadonSeal

Our mission is to supply cutting-edge, professional-grade, and environment-friendly products, superior to those sold in stores. Our customer support offers technical expertise and objective guidance on the best solutions for customers' needs.

RadonZone.com

You can't see, smell, or taste radon but radon in the home may be a problem for you. Conducting a radon home test is the only way to find out if you and your family are at risk.

Airthings

Keep your family safe from this radioactive, invisible gas that comes from the ground. It is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers but can be managed with continuous monitoring.

Evict Radon

While radon causes many thousands of new lung cancer diagnoses annually, knowledge to meaningfully reduce exposure is low. Evict Radon is designed to increase awareness about radon-induced lung cancer, and encourage Western Canadians to have their home tested. The results from your simple 90+ day test are then taken forward by researchers to understand how our environment influences our radon exposure.

National Radon Safety Board

The NRSB seeks to encourage the highest standards of practice and integrity in radon services through the development of independent standards and procedures for certifying, approving and accrediting radon testers, mitigators, measurement devices, chambers and laboratories.

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

This Public Health Statement is the summary chapter from the Toxicological Profile for radon. It is one in a series of Public Health Statements about hazardous substances and their health effects.

American Association of Radon Scientists & Technologists

The average person in the U.S. gets more radiation dose from exposure to indoor radon (radon decay products) than from any other source of natural or man-made radiation according to the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements.

American Lung Association

Exposure to high levels of radon can cause lung cancer. Learn about radon, how it affects lung health and what you can do about it.

Canadian Center for Occupational Health & Safety

Inhaling radon daughters increases the risk of lung cancer. The link between the concentration of radon daughters in the air and the risk of lung cancer is based mainly on data from a study of lung cancer mortality among uranium miners.

CDC

CDC researchers have completed two studies that evaluated general public awareness and behavior with regard to residential radon-testing programs

Chemicool

Radon gas was discovered in 1900 by Fredrich E. Dorn in Halle, Germany. He described it as radium emanation because it arose from the element radium, which he was working with.

EPA

EPA has released a Public Service media campaign for radon. The campaign features the U.S. Surgeon General's warning that radon causes lung cancer and that you should test your home.

LiveScience

Radon is present in the air nearly everywhere, and everyone breathes in radon every day, according to the National Cancer Institute. At low levels, it is harmless. However, people who inhale high levels of radon are at an increased risk of developing lung cancer.

National Cancer Institute

Studies showing a link between radon and lung cancer in humans include studies of underground uranium miners and of the general population exposed to radon in their homes.

WebElements

At ordinary temperatures radon is a colourless gas. When cooled below the freezing point, radon exhibits a brilliant phosphorescence which becomes yellow as the temperature is lowered and orange-red at the temperature of liquid air.

WHO

Exposure to radon in the home and workplace is one of the main risks of ionizing radiation causing tens of thousands of deaths from lung cancer each year globally. In order to reduce this burden it is important that national authorities have methods and tools based on solid scientific evidence and sound public health policy.