Radon Gas Identified as Leading Cause of Cancer

The World Health Organization & Environmental Protection Agency have announced a call to action for Americans to test their homes for Radon Gas, which has recently been identified as the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers in the U.S.

The EPA has officially designated January 2012 to be National Radon Action Month in the United States.

Radon is a naturally-occurring, radioactive gas that seeps out of the ground and can enter homes and other buildings. Since Radon is invisible and odorless, the only way to know if a home has dangerous levels of the gas is to conduct a radon test. Radon problems have been found in every county in the U.S. so the Surgeon General is recommending that all homes are tested.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that as many as eight million homes in the U.S. currently have dangerous levels of Radon Gas. They also predict that if action is not taken to correct this problem, between 15,000 and 22,000 deaths will occur in 2012 from exposure to the gas. This is a health threat of epidemic proportions that needs immediate attention.

Radon causes more deaths each year in the U.S. than any other in-home hazard including fires and carbon monoxide deaths combined. For more info about Radon Gas, go to the National Radon Month website: www.RadonMonth.org.