Practice | Five things to know about ...
Radon and lung cancer risk
Silvina C . Mema MD MSc , Greg Baytalan BSc
• Cite as : CMAJ 2023 June 19 ; 195 : E850 . doi : 10.1503 / cmaj . 230110
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Radon
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Radon
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is responsible for 16 % of lung cancer deaths in Canada , or more than 3000 deaths per year 1 Long-term inhalation of α particle radiation increases the lifetime relative risk of lung cancer by 16 % for every 100 Bq / m 3 and has a synergistic effect with other risk factors for lung cancer . 2 At the 200 Bq / m 3 upper limit in the Canadian guideline , the lifetime risk of lung cancer is 17 % for people who smoke tobacco and 2 % for people who do not . 3
are no “ radon-free ” areas in Canada 4 Radon is drawn from soil into buildings owing to pressure differences between the ground and the foundation . Indoor accumulation varies widely , depending on location , building characteristics , and human and mechanical actions within the building . About 20 % of homes across Canada exceed the 200 Bq / m 3 guideline , and 47.5 % exceed the World Health Organization – recommended reference level of 100 Bq / m 3 . 2
Canada recommends testing every home for radon over at least 3 months during the cold weather heating season 3 Testing is easy with the use of a long-term α track detector that can be purchased for $ 30 –$ 60 , which includes laboratory analysis . Community and publicly funded programs offer radon detectors at lower cost , or sometimes for free ( Appendix 1 , available at www . cmaj . ca / lookup / doi / 10.1503 / cmaj . 230110 / tab-related-content ).
levels can be reduced by more than 80 % 4 Reducing radon levels can save lives . A certified Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program provider can determine the best radon reduction method . However , mitigation costs of $ 3000 –$ 5000 can be prohibitive for many Canadians . Increasing ventilation can achieve modest reductions of radon when levels are at or slightly above 200 Bq / m 3 .
should suggest that patients test their home and workplace for radon Physicians can play an important role in the prevention of radon-related lung cancer by increasing awareness and motivating action . 5 Discussions with young adults may be most valuable as they make long-term plans to settle into a home and job . Further resources for physician and patients are provided in Appendix 1 .
References
1 . Radon — what you need to know . Ottawa : Health Canada ; 2021 . Available : https :// www . canada . ca / en / health-canada / services / environmental-workplace-health / reports-publications / radon -what-you-need-to-know . html ( accessed 2023 Mar . 23 ).
2 . Khan SM , Pearson DD , Ronnqvist T , et al . Rising Canadian and falling Swedish radon gas exposure as a consequence of 20th to 21st century residential build practices . Sci Rep 2021 ; 11:17551 . doi : 10.1038 / s41598-021-96928-x .
3 . Radon — Is it in your home ? Information for health professionals . Ottawa : Health Canada ; 2019 . Available : https :// www . canada . ca / en / health-canada / services / environmental -workplace-health / reports-publications / radiation / radon -is-it-in-you-home-information-health-professionals . html ( accessed 2023 Mar . 23 ).
4 . Radon — Reduction Guide for Canadians . Ottawa : Health Canada ; 2013 . Available : https :// www . canada . ca / en / health -canada / services / environmental-workplace-health / reports -publications / radiation / radon-reduction-guide-canadians -health-canada-2013 . html ( accessed 2023 Mar . 23 ).
5 . Garcia-Rodriguez JA . Radon gas — the hidden killer : What is the role of family doctors ? Can Fam Physician 2018 ; 64 : 496-501 . a
Competing interests : None declared . This article has been peer reviewed . Affiliation : Interior Health Authority , Kelowna , BC
Content licence : This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution ( CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 ) licence , which permits use , distribution and reproduction in any medium , provided that the original publication is properly cited , the use is noncommercial ( i . e ., research or educational use ), and no modifications or adaptations are made . See : https :// creativecommons . org / licenses / by-nc-nd / 4.0 /
Correspondence to : Silvina Mema , silvina . mema @ interiorhealth . ca
E850 CMAJ | June 19 , 2023 | Volume 195 | Issue 24 © 2023 CMA Impact Inc . or its licensors