Where can I get more information about radon or other indoor air quality issues?
Why is radon important? Radon is the main source of ionizing radiation that most of us are exposed to. Ionizing radiation can harm the cells that make up our body’s tissues and organs. The type of radiation that radon produces is mainly an internal hazard: it produces damage when we breathe air that contains radon, often leading to lung cancer. (Radon exposure pie chart) How did radon become a national indoor air issue? The EPA, the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, the American Lung Association, the National Safety Council, and the World Health Organization (WHO) have all concluded that radon is a known cancer-causing agent in humans. The National Academy of Sciences’ Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation VI report (1998) concluded that radon causes between 15,000 and 22,000 lung cancer deaths each year in this country. A more recent risk assessment from the EPA states radon causes 21,000 premature cancer deaths each year in the U.S. (2003). The Surgeon General of the U.S. war
