October 17th – 24th has been designated as “Radon Awareness Week” in the U.S. by the Federal Government. Radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. The U.S. government has has known of this deadly household problem for over two decades. In fact, Ronald Regan passed the National Indoor Radon Abatement Act back in 1988 to address the problem. Despite over 22,000 lung cancer deaths that have occurred every year since the act was passed, it wasn’t until this year that the government actually put a plan of action into place!

On June 20th, 2011; the United States government passed the Federal Radon Action Plan. The plan calls for several branches of the U.S. government to implement programs to reduce the risk of lung cancer to the American public in their homes and workplaces. Among the government sectors called to action are U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the General Services Administration, and the departments of Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Interior, and Veterans Affairs.

Even in trace quantities, the radioactive gas radon is very dangerous; it is second only to cigarette smoking as a cause of lung cancer deaths in the United States. The expense and precautions necessary to study it safely have limited research into its properties. Now, Univ. of Pennsylvania chemists have for the first time measured how well radon binds to a molecule, paving the way for future research on it and other noble gasses.

The research was led by associate professor Ivan Dmochowski, along with undergraduate David Jacobson and graduate students Najat Khan and Yubin Bai of the Department of Chemistry in Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences. Because radon is so difficult to generate and handle safely, the Penn team collaborated with researchers at the NIST who have experience in that area.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies have joined forces to reduce exposure to radon, one of the leading causes of lung cancer. According to the environmental agency, radon exposure causes some 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year and is the second leading cause of the disease in the United States.

There’s a killer lurking in and around your home and you may not even know it. Dead bolts and window locks are no match; in fact you could be in danger right now!

That killer is Radon, a radioactive gas. It’s a deadly by-product of decaying Uranium in the ground.

How deadly? Consider this; Radon is responsible for more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths every year. Claiming more lives annually than drunk driving and house fires, combined!

She didn’t smoke, and she didn’t have a family history of lung cancer.

What she had was prolonged exposure to high levels of the radioactive gas radon. It’s likely that thousands of other Georgians are being exposed, too.

“When you first get the diagnosis, it’s shocking,” said Dobbs, who is 59 and has lived in her Monroe home for 30 years. “You think … where could it possibly come from?”

Radon is an invisible and odorless gas that breaks down from uranium, granite, shale and phosphate and seeps into soil and water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it’s the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers and causes up to 14 percent of all lung cancer deaths each year in the U.S. That’s about 22,000 people. Georgia leads the Southeast, according to the EPA, with an average of 822 deaths yearly.

The World Health Organization recently published new documentation that links radon gas to more deaths throughout the World than previously estimated. According to the studies, radon causes approximately 15% of all lung cancer deaths making radon the #1 cause of the cancer for non-smokers. Air Quality Control, the nation’s largest radon remediation contractor, encourages the media to help promote awareness of this national health threat.

Why should I think about radon?

Any home can have a radon gas problem. Homes can trap radon inside where it can build up. If you breathe radon in, it can change the cells in your lungs. These changes can increase your chances for getting lung cancer. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. and the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that radon causes more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths in the United States each year.

January is “National Radon Action Month.” the Environmental Protection Agency reports 20,000 deaths a year from the odorless gas. Indiana State Department of Health radiation specialist Mary Styker says radon is created naturally underground and can seep into homes.

It’s colorless and odorless. But it could be in your home and causing lung cancer. The invisible threat is radon.

A naturally occurring gas that seeps out of rock and soil, radon can enter houses through the slightest of cracks or openings in the ground level of a structure. Radon alpha particles attach to dust or smoke and when inhaled can penetrate the mucus membranes of the lungs, causing cell damage that can lead to cancer, said Becky Chenhall, one of five radon educators at the University of Georgia.

Although testing for radon is easy and inexpensive, 80 percent of the homes in the U.S. have not been tested. Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that EPA has reported as causing 20,000 lung cancer deaths nationwide every year.

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, after cigarette smoking. January is the best time to test for radon now that doors and windows are all tightly closed. Now is the time to test and if needed, reduce your exposure to radon. That’s why EPA designated January ‘radon action month.’