The Role of Health Care Providers in Reducing the Burden of Radon-Induced Lung Cancer
Lung cancer ’ s very high incidence rate and associated mortality rate are even more tragic because lung cancer usually is preventable .
This is why , in addition to encouraging patients to stop smoking , it is important for health care providers to educate their patients about radon and encourage radon testing in their homes . Pointing out that health care providers have some of the highest rates of radon testing and mitigation helps promote these actions among patients . Physicians , other health care providers , and medical institutions also should consider including questions about radon testing as part of the electronic medical record questionnaire . A brief encounter and resulting intervention can have lifelong implications for patients and their families . Because health care providers are the primary advisors on health and disease prevention , they are in a unique position to play a vital role in informing the public about the serious risk posed by protracted radon exposure and in providing educational resources and contacts for radon testing and remediation methods for reducing elevated indoor radon levels .
If yes , how much per day ? If you are a former smoker , when did you stop ?
Educational Resources
Radon educational materials ( resources , blogs , discussion forums ) are availableat www . radonleaders . org , an EPAsupported website that helps facilitate action and radon risk reduction . Additional information on radon testing and mitigation is available from radon offices operated by the Department of Public Health in most states ; these offices can be found using EPA ’ s search tool linked at www . epa . gov / radon or by calling the National Radon Hotline at 1 – 800 – SOS – RADON ( 1 – 800 – 767 – 7236 ). Free educational fliers and brochures to prompt discussion between health care providers and patients , as well as educational videos and many of the scientific papers cited above , are available at www . canceriowa . org / breathingeasier .
Reducing the Risk from Radon | A Guide for Health Care Providers