Can exposure to radon make people sick?
Yes, but the only known health problem of radon exposure is lung cancer. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of getting lung cancer is especially high. Radon gas decays into radioactive particles that can get trapped in your lungs when you breathe. As they break down further, these particles release small bursts of energy. This can damage lung tissue and lead to lung cancer over the course of your lifetime. The time between exposure and the beginning of the disease may be many years. However, not everyone exposed to elevated levels of radon will develop lung cancer.
