More effective policies to control radon indoors are needed

About 1100 people die each year in the UK due to lung cancer related to radon (chemical element) in the home, but the current government's protection policies focus primarily on a small number of families with High levels of radon leave 95% of deaths due to lower radon levels, according to research published on British Medical magazine's homepage.

The authors argue that installing basic and cheap devices to prevent radon in all new homes can save costs and have the potential to reduce death from larger lung cancer, and regulations. UK construction should be changed to do this.

Indoor radon is a natural air pollutant produced from uranium decaying in the soil. Radon gas enters the buildings through cracks and holes in the ground and when decomposed it produces particles that can enter the lungs and cause radiation damage.

At the present time, the UK government's policy focuses on finding homes with high radon concentrations and encouraging homeowners to take the necessary measures themselves.

Indoor pollutants include radon. (Photo: static.howstuffworks.com) Professor Alastair Gray, Professor Sarah Darby and colleagues from Oxford University, evaluated the role of radon indoors for lung cancer deaths in the UK, and Consider the cost-effectiveness factor of policies to control exposure to radon. They used recent evidence of lung cancer risk from radon indoors, based on data of 7000 people with lung cancer, and more than 21,000 people without lung cancer across Europe. They then calculated the risk of death from lung cancer before and after many interventions to control radon, and related costs.

The authors estimate that 1100 deaths a year in the UK are related to radon, about 3.3% of deaths from lung cancer, less than 5% of radon deaths due to exposure. concentration is too high. In addition, they reported that many homeowners refused to check their apartments or pay themselves to reduce radon levels. Therefore, current policies cost a lot and have a very small impact on radon mortality.

In contrast, the authors found that the installation of simple devices in new buildings is very cost-effective, but at present is only applied in certain areas. This measure should be popularized throughout the UK, the authors said, and should be strengthened by changes in the Building Regulations.The anti-air film in the ground can reduce radon by 50% and only cost about 100 pounds.

The study also found that 6 out of 7 radon-related lung cancers occur in smokers or who have ever smoked in the past.The best way to reduce the risk of lung cancer for smokers is to stop smoking. They can also reduce their risk by taking radon control measures seriously.

The authors claim that their findings are also relevant to many other countries, especially those with higher radon concentrations than the UK. The average radon concentration in the UK is 21 bequerels per cubic meter, but the average level across Europe is 55, meaning that about 8% of deaths from lung cancer, or 18,000 deaths per year, are due to radon.

This is the largest and most meticulous assessment of policies to deal with radon-related cancer deaths, Professor Anssi Auvinen of Tampere University and Professor Göran Pershagen of the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Thuy. Dictionary, speech.

The findings show that: 'Radon policies need to be carefully considered (especially for low-concentration populations), it is important to adopt basic measures to prevent hazards. not just act when you notice that radon concentration is too high. '