Perhaps the biggest danger of uranium is radon gas .
Radon is the second-largest risk factor for lung cancer after cigarettes nationwide , and the Navajo tribal government has programs to educate people about the dangers .
But , getting those programs to residents is a challenge , particularly because many Navajo still have difficulty reading and speaking English , Stephen Etsitty , executive director of the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency , said .
The risk is higher for people who are exposed to high levels of radon for prolonged periods , especially in enclosed spaces , such as homes and workplaces , because radon gas is heavier than air and can pool in low places like basements .
In the case of the Navajo Nation , some radon exposures were extreme and persisted for years and decades because the radioactive materials were in the dust , soil and even the rocks used as foundations for tribal member ’ s homes .
“ We do have programs to help anybody who ' s going to be building , whether it ' s individual residents up to large commercial and institutional facilities , to make sure that they do the investigation and analysis of the potential threats of radon ,” Etsitty said . “ And we have a program that does a lot of outreach to help people learn how to do their regular testing .”
But , said Etsitty , it ’ s something the tribe must pay for and there isn ’ t always enough money available to test every building .
“ We ' re very concerned and want to get that type of information into people ' s hands . But once we give it out , then it ' s up to the individuals and the organizations to do their part — to do the regular testing ,” Etsitty added .
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