The agency said as many as 20,000 Americans may be dying each year from lung cancer caused by radon in homes. They said all homes should be tested for the presence of radon. Coming 60 days before the election, the announcement looked political. But we believe our readers should take this threat seriously. An epidemic of lung cancer is now sweeping through the men who worked the uranium mines in our Western states from 1940 to today.
European miners show similar cancers from similar exposures.
Radon gas is not something you want to breathe and it is not something you want your children to breathe. Radon is a natural hazard, but this does not make it safe by any means. Radon is heavier than air, so it tends to collect in low places that are poorly-ventilated, such as basements. Newer homes may be especially prone to a buildup of radon because they are often designed with poor ventilation as an energy-conservation measure. The EPA has probably not overestimated the danger from exposure to particular levels of radon.