from drunk driving … or homicides involving handguns,” said Gary Schwartz, professor and chair of the population health department at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Grand Forks.
In Pennsylvania, 39.1 % of radon test results meet or surpass 4.0 picocuries per liter, the threshold at which the Environmental Protection Agency( EPA) recommends taking action to reduce exposure, per the latest American Lung Association State of Lung Cancer report. In North Dakota, 63 % of homes have an elevated level of radon above 4.0 picocuries per liter.
“ What ' s going really beneath the radar is that people are dying from lung cancer, and nobody notices,” said Schwartz.
Yet drunk driving kills an average of 11,000 people annually and gunrelated homicides accounted for 19,651 lives lost in 2023. These issues often headline the nightly news and outrage viewers. Rightly so, Schwartz said, but he questioned why the same level of concern doesn’ t apply to radon.
Pa. radon gas risk
An odorless, invisible, radioactive gas that can enter the home from the ground through cracks in the foundation, radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer. Roughly 40 % of Pennsylvania homes have radon levels above the EPA ' s action guideline of 4 picocuries per liter( pCi / L).
Note: The Map of Radon Zones was developed in 1993 to identify areas of the U. S. with the greatest potential for elevated indoor radon levels based on indoor radon measurement data, geology, aerial radioactivity, soil parameters and foundation types. This map should not be used to determine if individual homes need to be tested: All homes should be tested for radon, according to the EPA.