Raises risk
Radon gas at home
invisible gas from soil and rock. Home & environment.
- Verdict
- Raises riskStudies link it to higher cancer risk.
- How sure
- Rung 5 · EstablishedLarge randomized trials or overwhelming, consistent human evidence; reflected in major guidelines.
- How big
- Linked to about 21,000 U.S. lung cancer deaths a year, per the EPA.
The rung shows how sure the science is, not how big the effect is. How to read these ratings
Cancers affected
Lung
What the evidence shows
The EPA calls radon the second leading cause of lung cancer, linked to about 21,000 U.S. deaths a year. In people who have never smoked, the National Cancer Institute links about 26% of lung cancer deaths to radon. Testing is the only way to know your level.
What to do
Test your home with an inexpensive kit. Fix it if the level is 4 pCi/L or higher.
Sources
To take it to your doctor, print this page.
Step by step
For the whole picture, from prevention and screening to treatment and life after, see the lung cancer page.