Radon is second-leading lung cancer cause behind smoking

Jan. 21—The way Dr. Navid Zaidi describes it, radon gas almost sounds like a Hollywood movie monster.

"It's usually in the bedrock and it gets into the soil and into your basement, through the cracks and the foundation and the walls and the floors," the pulmonologist with Freeman Health System said. "It seeps up into the house ... and you're not going to smell it, and you're not going to see it."

But there's nothing fake or fictional about radon, the radioactive gas that is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer among nonsmoking Americans, Zaidi said. Because it is colorless, odorless, tasteless and invisible to the naked eye, it can only be detected through testing. And if it goes undetected, it can prove fatal.

"When you inhale the (radioactive) gas over a long time, then there is a risk of lung cancer," he said. If someone has undetected radon exposure inside their home and also smokes, he continued, "it greatly increases your risk of lung cancer" — up to eight to nine times more, according to health officials.

How deadly is radon?

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, about 22,000 people die each year from radon-related lung cancer. Of those deaths, nearly 3,000 die from lung cancer despite never having smoked a single cigarette in their lives. Overall, radon contributes to 12% of lung cancers in the U.S.

The deadly gas is created by the radioactive decay of trace amounts of uranium or radium that are commonly found in the soil, rock and water below ground, but it can take decades for long-term exposure to cause significant damage in the lungs, unless the people living inside happen to be smokers.

"It might take 20 years — and the only thing we really see is lung cancer, we don't see it causing (problems) in asthma, and you're not going to have any chronic physical symptoms; it's going to show up as lung cancer," Zaidi said. "So say someone has never smoked and they develop lung cancer, then I would be thinking about radon (exposure). But, to be honest, if you are a smoker, then I don't test you for radon. But radon is something to be aware of."

According to the EPA's radon zones map, Joplin lies in Zone 2 — not the more dangerous Zone 1 — for radon.

"It's not like super bad (in Joplin)," Zaidi said. "It is in the moderate category."

How to test

Simple test kits can reveal the amount or percentage of radon found inside a building or home. Homes with high levels can be fixed with simple and affordable venting techniques to reduce risk and dangers.

"The No. 1 thing you can do — and you can do it yourself at home — is to purchase a radon home test kit," he said. "Testing is the only way and the best way to detect the gas. If you live in an older home or if you have a basement, you definitely need to test it."

Testing should not be a one-and-done operation. He recommends testing your home every five years or so, "because it's a constant threat."

Testing is important, Zaidi said, because just 15 years ago, one in every 15 homes nationwide had radon levels at or above the recommended level, which according to the EPA is 4 picocuries per liter of air. The average indoor radon level nationwide is about 1.3 picocuries per liter, and the average outdoor level is about 0.4 picocuries per liter.

Residents of the state of Missouri can receive a free radon test kit for their homes from the state. The website is health.mo.gov/living/environment/radon/index.php. Click on the "test kit requests" link to fill out the request form. For quicker results, tests are also available from online providers, such as Amazon.com, and from many home improvement stores. Test kit prices are around $25.

And if high levels are found through testing, "you call a professional company to have the gas removed," Zaidi said. The most common method to rid a home of the deadly gas is by using suction pipes inserted through the floor or slab beneath the home, and then using fans to draw the gas out and away from the people living above ground.

Be aware of radon this month

January is national radon action month, a time in which its dangers are pushed by health officials from coast to coast. Next week is Radon Awareness Week.

Radon's lethality, Zaidi said, "is underestimated ... because there's not a whole lot of awareness," which is why the numbers of deaths hasn't significantly dropped over the years.

"We really haven't paid (enough) attention to this, honestly," he said.

Kevin McClintock is features editor for The Joplin Globe.