Household radon exposure

Radon is a noble gas derived from the decay of radium, which itself is a de cay product of uranium. The dec ar products of radon can collect electrosta tically on dust particles in the air and, if these particles are inhaled an d attach to bronchial epithelium, produce a high local radiation dose. Alph a particles can induce DNA double-strand breaks and the development of canc er. A causal relation bmr rm lung cancer and radon exposure and its progeny has been demonstrated in epidemiological studies of miners. Radon exposure became a public health issue almost 15 pears ago. Most radon exposure occu rs indoors, predominantly in the home. There is however, a wide range of ra don concentration values in different countries. The highest levels occurs in areas with granite and permeable soils. The risk for smoking, the leadin g cause of lung cancer is far greater than for radon, the second leading ca use. The estimates obtained from case-control studies of indoor radon are v ery contradictory. Scientific knowledge of effects of low levels of exposur e to radon and the role of cigarette smoking, as a combined factor, must be studied. Smoking and radon probably interact in a multiplicative fashion.