Dr. Oz To Homeowners: "Test For Radon."
Lung cancer survivors and radon experts welcomed the spotlight that was shone on radon by Fox's "Dr. Oz Show," when Dr. Mehmet Oz described radon as an "incredibly toxic" radioactive gas that is the "number one cancer risk at home."
Online, February 23, 2011 (Newswire.com) - On Thursday, February 10, Fox's Dr. Oz Show turned its attention to radon, a radioactive gas that causes lung cancer and is responsible for the deaths of nearly 60 Americans each day.
"This is a significant step forward in creating public awareness about a deadly health hazard that can be found in any home," according to RadonAway's David Hill. "For years, radon has received occasional, sporadic media attention - and virtually no coverage by a major national show such as "The Dr. Oz Show" - even though it has been decades since the EPA, the Surgeon General, the National Academy of Science, lung disease and cancer groups, and scores of others have urged the public to test their homes for this known - and preventable - cause of lung cancer."
On his show Dr. Oz called radon "incredibly toxic" and stated, "Everyone ought to get their home tested." He described how this invisible, odorless gas enters the home through even the smallest openings and demonstrated its destructive effects when inhaled into the lungs.
A guest expert on the show, Rebecca Morley, Executive Director of National Center for Healthy Housing, described radon as "one of a handful of Class A carcinogens. That means that we have human data to show the connection between radon and lung cancer." She explained that "radon damages the cells that line the lungs and that leads to lung cancer" and went on to say that about 8 million homes in the U.S. have high radon levels.
Dr. Oz and Ms. Morley sent out a clear message to the public: Radon is a proven cause of lung cancer that can be found in any home. To help prevent lung cancer caused by radon, they said: (1) Every home should be tested for radon, and (2) Reduce elevated radon levels by installing a radon mitigation system.
