Study to focus on deadly radon gas and its connection to lung cancer

When I wrote a story in January's Star-Telegram about the dangers of radon gas -- a carcinogen that can get into your house through cracks in your foundation like the one pictured left -- the state was overwhelmed by folks calling the 800-324-5928 number to order a free radon testing kit. Somebody out there cares about this issue.

Now comes word that a University of Ottawa researcher is launching the largest-ever study examining environmental factors -- mainly radon -- related to the rates of lung cancer deaths, according to the Ottawa Sun.

Michelle Turner in the university's Population Health program, is setting out on a three-year study looking at the role of residential radon and air pollution in the deaths of Americans over a 20-year period. Radon, a colorless, odorless and tasteless radioactive gas, is emitted from the earth and collects in houses. Other studies have linked radon and air pollution to lung cancer but the research has focused mostly on workers in specific, high-risk jobs, like mining, according to the story.

The study, which will use data from the American Cancer Society, will look at 1.2 million Americans in the general population, including 450,000 non-smokers. Cigarette smoking accounts for 80 percent of all lung cancer deaths, but it's estimated exposure to radon caused the death of 10 percent of lung cancer victims in 2006, according to the story.

-- Scott Streater