SALT LAKE CITY — November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and Utah has reason to pay attention to the risk associated with this illness—one in three Utah homes has high radon levels, the second leading cause of lung cancer following smoking.
Radon is an odorless, tasteless, and colorless gas that can cause lung cancer, and comes from uranium deposits in the ground; because of its invisible properties, the only way to detect it is to test for it.
It's estimated that 21,000 lung cancer death each year in this country are the result of radon gas exposure; lung cancer is a particularly deadly illness, as it causes more deaths to women than breast cancer and more deaths to men than prostate cancer.
According to the EPA, average indoor radon levels in Utah have the same cancer risk as smoking 10 cigarettes a day, and though lung cancer is associated with smoking, it's estimated that 30 percent of lung cancer patients are non-smokers.
Winter is when radon levels rise, as houses are tightly sealed, and basements are where levels are likely to be the highest. Though it's not necessary to test for radon every year, when buying or selling a home (or living arrangements change and the basement becomes a bedroom) it's wise to check to make sure levels are safe.
