Radon exposuree is second only to smoking as a cause of lung cancer in the United States , and it ’ s behind approximately 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year , according to the U . S . Environmental Protection
Agency ( EPA ). 1
Dr . Cardinale B . Smith
The radioactive gas is emitted from the ground and can move into homes throughh cracks and holes in the foundation . The
EPA estimates that 1 in 15 U . S . homes have elevated radon levels that must be reduced . 2 But the cost of that radon mitigation process puts it out of reach for many Americans , including those in underserved Native communities .
In an effort to address the problem , the University of Wisconsin – Madison Carbone
Cancer Center partnered with a Tribal community in the state , the Stockbridge‐Munsee Band of the Mohican Nation . Native communities in Wisconsin are known to bear an outsized burden of lung cancer cases , and nationally , the upper Midwest is home to the highest radon levels .
“ The community we worked with had noted higher rates of cancer there for many generations , and expressed concerns to us that their land was poisoning them ,” said lead author Noelle K . LoConte , MD , of the University of Wisconsin – Madison . “ They were correct .”
“ The community we worked with had noted higher rates of cancer there for many generations , and expressed concerns to us that their land was poisoning them . They were correct .”— Dr . Noelle K . LoConte
Of 85 radon test kits distributed to community members in partnership with local health coordinators at a Tribal health clinicc , 55.3 % tested positive for high radon levels in the home — far higher than the statewide rate of 10 %.
“ This was surprising to us , especially when you look at the state of Wisconsin as a whole ,” Dr . LoConte said . She and her colleagues suspect that the community had never previously been tested for radon , which could help