What are the chances of dying from lung cancer caused by radon?
Radon exposure significantly increases your risk of dying from lung cancer, but just as not everyone who smokes will get lung cancer, not everyone exposed to high levels of radon will get lung cancer. The following is the “EPA Assessment of Risks from Radon in Homes” an updated chart of the lifetime risk of lung cancer death per person from radon exposure in homes. The full text of the updated risk assessment, “EPA Assessment of Risks from Radon in Homes” (EPA 402-R-03-003) is available as a downloadable Adobe Acrobat file. Can a medical test tell what someone’s exposure has been or how much damage has been done? Several decay products can be detected in urine, blood, and lung and bone tissue. However, these tests are not generally available through typical medical facilities. Also, they cannot be used to determine accurate exposure levels, since most radon decay products deliver their dose and decay within a few hours. Finally, these tests cannot be used to predict whether a person’s
