A newly released study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute says up to one in 10 U.S. lung cancer deaths may be caused by radon gas seeping into homes from the ground. The new Cancer Institute study reported that radon may cause more than 14,000 lung cancer deaths in the United States, and may be responsible for up to 30 percent of lung cancers among nonsmokers. With radon, the risk is measured in cases per 1,000, almost a thousand times greater. Bryant, who is also associate dean for extension in the AU College of Engineering, says all homes and offices should be tested for the radioactive chemical, which is caused by decaying uranium. If you're selling or buying a home, have it tested for radon.
Testing is the only way to know that there is a radon problem.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that escapes from underground rocks and soils. Radioactive emissions from radon are known to affect the cells lining the lungs when the gas is breathed in. An EPA map shows Alabama and Tennessee having the most serious radon problems in the Deep South. Nationally, most problem areas are in the West, Midwest and Northeast. Zone 1 counties are Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Coosa, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan and Talladega.