Myth 1 : The link between radon and lung cancer risk is not clear .
6 Myths About Radon and Lung Cancer
By Jim StallardMonday , March 18 , 2024
MSK medical physicist Dr . Michael Bellamy says many people are still unaware of the risks posed by radon exposure .
Most people have heard about radon being a health hazard . It is important to fully understand the danger it poses . Radon is a radioactive gas given off by soil , rock , and water . It results from the breakdown of naturally occurring radioactive isotopes in uranium buried deep underground . The Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) classifies radon as a carcinogen because it can get into the air and increase the risk of lung cancer . You can ’ t see , smell , or taste radon gas , so it is easy to ignore the risk it carries . Here , Michael Bellamy , PhD , a medical physicist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center ( MSK ) with expertise in radiation safety , dispels some of the most common myths about radon and describes what can be done to reduce its effects on lung cancer risk .
Myth 1 : The link between radon and lung cancer risk is not clear .
The link between radon and lung cancer has been firmly established over the past four decades from studies in people and in the lab . The elevated lung cancer risk was first noticed in uranium miners , who worked in confined spaces underground for long periods . This led scientists to consider that radon exposure could be a wider problem .
“ They performed studies measuring radon levels in homes , especially in areas where houses are buttoned up for heating and cooling for much of the year ,” Dr . Bellamy explains . “ Some homes had radon levels close to some of the lower levels in the mines .”