Carol Leavenworth, 54, with her grandsons, Zyaire, 3, and Romario, 2. Housing of cials inspected Leavenworth’s
apartment at Townhouse Terrace in Southeast Portland this spring, 26 years after she moved in. They found radon
levels 3 ½ times the level the federal government says should trigger repairs.
Public housing tenants are especially vulnerable. The same level of radon
exposure is more likely to cause lung cancer in a smoker than a non-smoker, and
smoking is roughly twice as prevalent among adult public housing tenants as the
general population, a recent HUD study found.
While it’s impossible to know if radon caused lung cancer in a particular patient,
the science on radon is clear and the danger is preventable, said Dr. Wallace
Akerley, an oncologist and director of the lung cancer program at the Huntsman
Cancer Institute at the University of Utah.
“Radon is radiation,” Akerley said. “You should avoid it at all costs.”
Oregon resident Carol Leavenworth didn’t get that choice.
Leavenworth moved into public housing in 1993 after spending time homeless
and couch-sur ng. She’s lived in the same outer Southeast Portland apartment
ever since, raising two daughters and now two grandkids.
Leavenworth, 54, decided to quit smoking last year when her granddaughter,
Zey’Elle, now 10, asked about her health. During stressful times, Leavenworth
would burn through two packs of Marlboro menthols each day.
“I was coughing so bad,” Leavenworth said. “She was concerned. ‘Are you going to
be around long enough for me to graduate from high school?’”
Housing of cials nally tested Leavenworth’s home at Townhouse Terrace this
spring, 26 years after she moved in. They found radon at 3½ times the level the
federal government says should trigger repairs.
The thought of lung cancer worries her now more than ever.