Radon: An Underestimated Threat
Radon is more dangerous than previously thought, according to researchers at the University of Iowa. Exposure even to minimum levels set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) results in a 50 percent greater chance of contracting lung cancer.
"What this indicates is that residential radon exposure is a significant cause of lung cancer," says Dr. Charles Lynch, Iowa professor of epidemiology and the study's principal investigator.
The EPA has estimated that radon is responsible for up to 20,000 lung cancer deaths a year. But for years, much of the data available for making such estimates was based on information collected from uranium miners, who spend far more time underground and are exposed to much more radon than the average person.
This latest study yields different results. A spokesperson for the EPA says, "The Iowa study is exceptionally well designed, and represents the most detailed attempt to date to reconstruct total individual radon exposure."
Researchers at the University of Iowa followed 1,000 women for four years from 1993-1997. Researchers say the study was limited to women because, historically, they tend to spend more time at home and have less occupational exposure to carcinogens in the workplace.
Most people know smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths in the United States, but the average person is probably unaware of the second leading cause. It's radon.
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