What is home radon and how does it affect you?

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Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that has become one of the leading causes of lung cancer, second only to cigarette smoke.  Most soils contain uranium that, over time, decays to produce radium and polonium.  Eventually, polonium is released with the radon, which creates high toxicity levels in the air and water.

Unfortunately, we cannot smell, taste, or see radon - which is why it easily goes unnoticed.  When this happens, everyone in the home becomes susceptible to contracting lung cancer.  There are also not many symptoms of lung cancer, as they often lie dormant until the disease becomes more severe.

Lung cancer kills more people each year than the other top cancers combined.  It also receives the least amount of funding, because many people believe it's a self-induced disease.  According to the World Health Organization, radon causes 15 percent of the world's lung cancer causes and kills 20,000 people each year. 

For those 20,000 people who have never smoked and have never been heavily surrounded by smokers, the lung cancer diagnosis is far from self-induced.

Radon-induced lung cancer kills one person every 25 minutes, joining arsenic, asbestos, and benzene as a Class-A Carcinogen.