Penetrating concrete sealer Radon Mitigation Reduces Lung Cancer Risks to Your Family Radon in homes causes lung cancer Lung cancer has become the leading cancer killer of both men and women, well ahead of prostate or breast cancers.
Radon is after smoking the second leading cause of lung cancer.
Among non-smokers, radon is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer deaths. The National Academy of Sciences estimates that radon causes about 19,000 lung cancer deaths in the U.S. each year. That's more than fires, drownings and airplane crashes combined. How radon causes cancer Radon gas spontaneously decays into minute solid particles, which lodge in the lungs and emit radiation for over 20 years. Alpha radiation damages the DNA in living cells, causing cancerous and genetic mutations.