Important Facts

1. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in many countries.

2. Estimated based on the average level of radon of a country, about 3% to 14% of lung cancer is caused by radon.

3. Radon is more likely to make smokers develop lung cancer and it is the main cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.

4. Radon induced lung cancer is mainly caused by medium-low concentration of radon instead of high concentration, because many people are exposed to such low concentrations of radon at home.

5. The lower the concentration of indoor radon is, the smaller the risk of lung cancer is.

What Is Radon?

Radon is a radioactive, colorless, odorless, tasteless, noble gas, occurring naturally as an indirect decay product of uranium or thorium and it also can be found in water.

Radon is very easy to release from underground to air. As radon itself decays, it produces new radioactive elements called radon daughters or decay products. Unlike the gaseous radon itself, radon daughters are solids and stick to surfaces, such as dust particles in the air. If such contaminated dust is inhaled, these particles can stick to the airways of the lung and increase the risk of developing lung cancer

Radon in Home

The majority of the radon that most people contact with is from house. The concentration of the indoor radon depends on:

1. The content of uranium in the rock of foundation and soil

2. The ways that radon enters house

3. Exchange rate of indoor and outdoor air: this depends on the structure of housing, residents’ living habits and the sealing degree of window.

Radon can enter house through the following ways:

1. The cracks between cement floor and walls

2. The ground cracks

3. Small holes on the hollow brick wall

4. Sinkhole and gully drain

5. The concentration of radon is usually higher in basement or the structure contacting with soil.

Reducing Radon of Your house

The following ways can help you reduce radon:

Improve ventilation

Avoid radon in basement flowing to dwelling

Increase ventilation under floor

Install radon storing system in basement

Seal the cracks in ground and walls

Radon safety should be considered when building any house, especially the area with high level of radon. In America and Europe, prevention measures of radon have been taken in new buildings very commonly and this has become mandatory in some countries. Besides, it has shown that non-resource relieving system enables to decrease level of indoor radon down to 50% and when radon ventilator being used, the level can be lower.

*Surgery, in addition to the appropriate chemotherapy and radiotherapy, are effective in treating early cancer, but certain patients in late stage of cancer may not be tolerate surgery well as they can be relatively weak. A combination of carefully planned minimally invasive therapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy can effectively reduce the side effects and discomfort of treatment and may help patient get better efficacy.