 The
U.S. Surgeon General, Richard Carmona, Issues National
Health Advisory on Radon
The Surgeon General of the United States issued a Health
Advisory in 2005 warning Americans about the health risk
from exposure to radon in indoor air.
The Nation’s Chief Physician urged Americans to test
their homes to find out how much radon they might be
breathing. Dr. Carmona also stressed the need to remedy
the problem as soon as possible when the radon level is
4 pCi/L or more.
Read the Surgeon General's News Release
Why is
radon the public health risk that it is?
EPA estimates that about 20,000 lung cancer
deaths each year in the U.S. are radon-related. Exposure
to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer
after smoking. Radon is an odorless, tasteless and
invisible gas produced by the decay of naturally
occurring uranium in soil and water. Radon is a form of
ionizing radiation and a proven carcinogen. Lung cancer
is the only known effect on human health from exposure
to radon in air. Thus far, there is no evidence that
children are at greater risk of lung cancer than are
adults.
Radon in air is ubiquitous. Radon is found in outdoor
air and in the indoor air of buildings of all kinds. EPA
recommends homes be fixed if the radon level is 4 pCi/L
(pico Curies per Liter) or more. Because there is no
known safe level of exposure to radon, EPA also
recommends that Americans consider fixing their home for
radon levels between 2 pCi/L and 4 pCi/L. The average
radon concentration in the indoor air of America’s homes
is about 1.3 pCi/L. It is upon this level that EPA based
its estimate of 20,000 radon-related lung cancers a year
upon. It is for this simple reason that EPA recommends
that Americans consider fixing their homes when the
radon level is between 2 pCi/L and 4 pCi/L. The average
concentration of radon in outdoor air is .4 pCi/L or
1/10th of EPA’s 4 pCi/L action level.
For smokers the risk of lung cancer is significant due
to the synergistic effects of radon and smoking. For
this population about 62 people in a 1,000 will die of
lung-cancer, compared to 7.3 people in a 1,000 for never
smokers. Put another way, a person who never smoked
(never smoker) who is exposed to 1.3 pCi/L has a 2 in
1,000 chance of lung cancer; while a smoker has a 20 in
1,000 chance of dying from lung cancer. Figure A
compares the risks between smokers and never smokers;
smokers are at a much higher risk than never smokers,
e.g., at 8 pCi/L the risk to smokers is six times the
risk to never smokers.
The radon health risk is underscored by the fact that in
1988 Congress added Title III on Indoor Radon Abatement
to the Toxic Substances Control Act. It codified and
funded EPA’s then fledgling radon program. Also that
year, the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General issued a
warning about radon urging Americans to test their homes
and to reduce the radon level when necessary (U.S.
Surgeon General).
Unfortunately, many Americans presume that because the
action level is 4 pCi/L, a radon level of less than 4
pCi/L is ‘safe’. This perception is altogether too
common in the residential real estate market. In
managing any risk, we should be concerned with the
greatest risk. For most Americans, their greatest
exposure to radon is in their homes; especially in rooms
that are below grade (e.g., basements), rooms that are
in contact with the ground and those rooms immediately
above them.
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Radon
is a cancer-causing natural radioactive gas that you
can’t see, smell or taste. Its presence in your home can
pose a danger to your family's health. Radon is the
leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Radon is
the second leading cause of lung cancer in America and
claims about 20,000 lives annually.
