What are the health effects of radon?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified radon as the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Many homes contain radon concentrations that are high enough to give their occupants lifetime exposures that could increase their risk of developing lung cancer. As one inhales, radon decay products in the inhaled air are deposited in the lungs. Radon and its decay products emit alpha and beta particles and gamma photons. The alpha particles are very damaging if emitted from radioactive material within the body. The alpha particles can strike sensitive lung tissue causing damage to the cells in the lungs subsequently increasing the risk of lung cancer. The risk associated with this exposure is thought to increase linearly with increasing radon concentration, so the higher the average radon level is in a house, and the longer the exposure period, the greater the risk to the occupants.
