New Health Canada research indicates there are hundreds more cases annually of lung cancer caused by indoor radon exposure than first determined in the late 1970s, prompting the agency to urge Canadians to check levels of the colourless and odourless gas in their homes.
Health Canada tests conducted in the late 1970s estimated that 10 per cent of lung cancers resulted from indoor exposure to the radioactive gas, which is produced naturally when uranium in the soil degrades. Radon is released from the ground into the outdoor air and can sometimes seep into homes.
However, the federal agency more accurately determined the levels of radon through tests of 14,000 homes across the country for two years starting in 2007. The testing, using long-term alpha track detectors, determined that more Canadians are exposed to radon concentrations above acceptable levels than previously recorded. As a result, the new estimate of lung cancers attributable to radon exposure is now 16 per cent.
Source CBC News
