Health Risks From Exposure Radon Gas
 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 It should
be emphasised that when the radon concentrations are
high, it poses a serious risk to health. Radioactive
decay of radon forms particles called 'Radon daughters'.
If inhaled, radon decay products (polonium-218 and polonium-214,
solid form), unattached or attached to the surface of
aerosols, dusts, and smoke particles, become deeply
lodged or trapped in the lungs, where they can radiate
and penetrate the cells of mucous membranes, bronchi,
and other pulmonary tissues. The ionising radiation
energy affecting the bronchial epithelial cells is believed
to initiate the process of carcinogenesis. Although
radon-related lung cancers are mainly seen in the upper
airways, radon increases the incidence of all histological
types of lung cancer, including small cell carcinoma,
Aden carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma.
Children have been reported to have greater risk than
adults of certain types of cancer from radiation, but
there is currently no conclusive data on whether children
are at greater risk than adults from radon.
Your chances of getting lung cancer from radon depend
mostly on :
- The radon levels found in your home or workplace
- The amount of time you spend in your home or workplace
European study of radon and lung cancer risks.
The study - funded by Cancer Research UK and the European
Commission.
A new study to determine the risk of developing lung
cancer from exposure to radon gas in homes was published
using data pulled from thirteen seperate studies taken
from nine European countries. The results obtained from
this large and important epidemiological study confirmed
a strong and detectable risk between lung cancer and
the exposure to radon gas in the home. The group studied
over 7,000 individual lung cancer cases and proved a
direct link between even low levels of radon gas in
the home and the development of lung cancer.The study
estimated elevated radon exposure in the home accounts
for over 9% of all lung cancer deaths in Europe.
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