While most people are aware that air pollution can be hazardous to their health, many do not know that the air they breathe inside their own homes could be killing them. Millions of homes and buildings contain high levels of radon gas, a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that invades the home as a silent killer. Many do not even know it's present. When radon decays and is inhaled into the lungs, it releases energy that can damage the DNA in sensitive lung tissue and lead to lung cancer. In fact, prolonged exposure to high levels of radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, contributing to between 7,000 and 30,000 lung cancer deaths each year.
Smokers are at higher risk of developing radon-induced lung cancer.
We do know smoking tobacco and being exposed to radon have a cumulative effect. If you smoke and you're subjected even to moderate levels of radon, the chances of developing lung cancer are much greater than if you do not have radon in your home or are exposed to low levels of radon. Radon has been found in elevated levels in homes in every state. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that as many as one in 15 homes across the U.S. has elevated radon levels. The primary source of high levels of radon in homes is the soil below the dwelling.