Transcript 02Whyisradonahealthproblem9-7

Lesson 2
Why is radon a
health problem?
Radon and lung cancer
• Radon is largest source of radiation
exposure to general public
• Radon is leading cause of lung cancer
among nonsmokers
• Only cigarette smoking causes more
deaths from lung cancer.
• Reducing radon in homes could reduce
radon-related lung cancers by about 1/3
– Home inspectors can help when they measure
radon levels accurately
Slide 2-1
What do you hear
people say about radon?
Radon can’t really hurt
you. The only problem
is those government
alarmists, who are
always trying to scare
us about some
environmental hazard.
There’s really nothing
to worry about.
Have you heard statements like this?
Do you agree with this statement?
Slide 2-2
The facts about radon
• Many scientific studies
confirm the
connection between
radon exposure and
lung cancer
• Respected national
and international
organizations agree
that radon causes
lung cancer
• American Lung
Association
• American Medical
Association
• American Public Health
Association
• National Academy of
Sciences
• U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
• U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency
• World Health
Organization
Slide 2-3
Can you fill in
the numbers?
• Annual deaths (1995)
from lung cancer:
???
• Total radon-related
deaths per year:
???
• Average years of life
lost for radon-related
lung cancer:
???
Slide 2-4
Radon and lung cancer
• Annual deaths (1995)
from lung cancer:
146,400
• Total radon-related
deaths per year:
21,000 (14%)
• Average years of life
lost for radon-related
lung cancer: 17
Slide 2-5
How radon
harms the lungs
• Radon gas is inhaled
• Radon decay products become
trapped in the lungs
• As products decay, some
release alpha radiation
• Radiation damages lung tissue
• Even very small exposures to
radon can cause lung cancer
– No known safe level of radon
• Radon causes no immediate symptoms
– Lung cancer usually occurs 5 to 25 years after
exposure
Slide 2-6
• Cancer cells spread to other parts of the body
Lung cancer is deadly
• The leading cause of cancer death for men
and women
• 60% of people with lung cancer die within
1 year of diagnosis
• 70-80% die within 2 years of diagnosis
Slide 2-7
Radon and
other health concerns
• No evidence that radon causes other
respiratory diseases, such as asthma
• No evidence that children are at
greater risk of radon-induced lung
cancer than adults
Slide 2-8
Cancer deaths from
radon in tap water
Total
168 cancer deaths per year
related to radon in water
Lung cancer
Stomach
Stomach
from breathing
cancer from
cancer
radon released
swallowing
11%
by water—as in
water that
showering or
contains
washing
radon
dishes—
accounts for
accounts for
11% of
Lung
89% of those
those deaths
cancer
89%
deaths
Slide 2-9
Match cause with
estimated deaths per year
Cause
25,000
21,000
20,000
Drownings
17,400
Drunk driving
15,000
8,000
10,000
3,900
5,000
2,800
0
Radon
Drunk
driving
Falls in the Drownings
home
Home fires
Falls in the
home
Home fires
Radon
Slide 2-10
Relative risk:
estimated deaths per year
25,000
21,000
20,000
17,400
15,000
8,000
10,000
3,900
5,000
2,800
0
Radon
Drunk
driving
Falls in the Drownings Home fires
home
Slide 2-11
Risk factors
• Duration of exposure
Longer exposure time =
greater risk
• Levels of radon
Higher levels = greater risk
• Smoking
In combination with radon
exposure = greater risk
DANGER
Lungs at work
Slide 2-12
Radon concentrations
in the air
Picocuries/liter (pCi/L)
Average outdoor
0.4
Average indoor
1.3
Consider fixing the home
2-under 4
Action level: fix the
home
4 or above
Action level is based on level that can be achieved
technically.
It is not based on health standards. Slide 2-13
No known level of radon is safe.
How common are
high radon levels?
EPA estimates
that
1 in 15 U.S.
homes
has a radon
concentration
at or above the
action level of
4 pCi/L
Recall: EPA also estimates that reducing
radon in homes could reduce radonrelated lung cancers by about one-third
Slide 2-14
Radon risk for people
who never smoked
If 1,000 nonsmokers were
Radon
exposed to this radon
level
level, the number who
(pCi/L)
could get lung cancer
after lifetime exposure*
Lung cancer risk
equal to**
20
36
35 times the risk of
dying by drowning
10
18
20 times the risk of
dying in a home fire
8
15
4 times the risk of
dying in a fall
4
7
The risk of dying in
a car crash
2
4
The risk of dying
Slide 2-15
from poison
Radon risk for smokers
Radon
level
(pCi/L)
If 1,000 smokers were
exposed to this level,
the number who could
get lung cancer
after lifetime
exposure*
20
260
250 times the risk of
dying by drowning
10
150
200 times the risk of
dying in a home fire
8
120
30 times the risk of
dying in a fall
4
62
5 times the risk of
dying in a car crash
2
32
6 times the riskSlide
of 2-16
dying from poison
Lung cancer risk
equal to**
Radon risk comparison
Estimated number of people who could get lung cancer
per 1,000 people exposed over a lifetime
Radon level
(pCi/L)
People who
never smoked
People who
smoke
20
36
260
10
18
150
8
15
120
4
7
62
2
4
32
1.3
2
20
0.4
-
3
Slide 2-17
National Health Advisory
2005
Richard Carmona
U.S. Surgeon
General
“Indoor radon is the secondleading cause of lung cancer in
the United States …
Breathing it over prolonged periods
can present a significant health
risk to families all over the
country.
It’s important to know that this
threat is completely preventable.
Radon can be detected with a
simple test and fixed through
well-established venting
techniques.”
Slide 2-18
Role play activity
• Two characters
– Home inspector
– Client
• Action
– Home inspector is trying to persuade a
client to have a home tested
– Client is reluctant
– Home inspector emphasizes health
issues
Slide 2-19
After the activity
• Inspector
– What arguments
did you use to
convince the client
to have home
tested?
– Could you have
been more
persuasive?
• Client
– Did the inspector
convince you?
• Why or why not?
– Could the inspector
have been more
persuasive?
• If so, how?
• If so, how?
Slide 2-20
Summary
Radon is known to cause
lung cancer
Estimated radon-related
deaths each year:
21,000
Reducing radon in
homes could reduce
radon-related lung
cancers by about 1/3
EPA action level: 4 pCi/L
When people breathe in
radon and its decay
products, radioactive
particles get trapped
in the lungs
– As particles decay, they
damage lung tissue
– With long-term
exposure, damage
increases risk of lung
cancer
Slide 2-21
Summary
Chances of developing lung cancer depend on
• Duration of exposure
• Level of radon in the home
• Smoking
– Greatly increases the risk of developing lung cancer
Slide 2-1
2-22
See handout
Questions?
• About why radon is a health problem
Slide 2-23
Check
your understanding
• See handout 2-2
Slide 2-24