It’s that time of year again when the spotlight falls on radon, the gas which can seep into our homes and workplaces and is responsible for over 2000 lung cancer deaths every year.
This year, the UK Radon Association which leads the campaign has chosen to focus on raising awareness of the increased risks that radon exposure received during childhood presents.
The Looking Out for Little Lungs campaign draws on research from Canada, which reveals that whilst the risk of developing lung cancer increases with radon concentration and duration of exposure, “exposure to radon during childhood increases the lifetime risk of developing lung cancer“.
According to the research, exposure to high concentrations for just a few years during childhood gives the equivalent, or greater, ‘lifetime relative risk’ of developing lung cancer as spending a whole lifetime at much lower levels.
As people tend to live in different homes over their lifetime, this means that it is very important to ensure any home where you are raising a family does not contain elevated radon levels. If children are exposed to high concentrations of radon, the radiation it emits into the lungs could lead to DNA damage resulting in cancerous cells developing later in life.
Dr Aaron Goodarzi, a Canadian professor and expert in genome damage caused by radon says that “whilst it is advisable for anyone to test their homes and workplaces for radon (and mitigate if a problem is detected), any homes, schools, and childcare centres where small children and young adults spend a great deal of time should become a priority for radon elimination.”
Special Offer on Radon Test Kits
To assist parents in carrying out their radon tests, propertECO are offering all customers a huge 33% discount on our three month radon test kits for the duration of UK Radon Awareness Week 2017 (6th – 12th November). Simply visit our online store www.radonshop.co.uk, add the 3 Month Radon Test Kit to your basket and use the discount code LittleLungs at the checkout.
You can follow the campaign at www.radonweek.co.uk or on social media using #LittleLungsUK and #RadonWeek.
