January is National Radon Action Month and if you haven’t tested for radon in your home in the past year, this is a good reminder to put it on your to-do list. Radon is a naturally occurring, invisible, odorless gas that decays into radioactive particles. Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. It’s estimated that about 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year are caused by radon exposure. I’m just learning that It is also linked to neurodegenerative diseases.

My husband spent many hours each day in his basement office. When we put our house up for sale, we had to do a radon mitigation after discovering that we had high radon levels. Now I’m wondering if his Alzheimer’s disease was caused by the radon. In a systematic review of the topic, ten studies have been related to multiple sclerosis (MS), two related to motor neuron disease, in particular ALS, and three were related to both Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33066046/

I’ve also just learned that the average radon level in a home in Colorado, where I live, is equivalent to every person in the home having 200 chest X-rays a year. That’s scary!

The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease published an article concluding that ionizing radiation is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s. Inhaling radon gas, can damage tissue in the nasal cavity and hippocampus that, overtime, results in Alzheimer’s.

The researchers did an extensive study of ionizing radiation exposure of the population in the U.S. and compared that with 2013 death rates by states provided by the Alzheimer’s Association. They found that radon background ionizing radiation was significantly correlated with AD death rate in 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Signs and symptoms of radon exposure and possible lung cancer from radon

• Persistent cough
• Hoarseness
• Wheezing
• Shortness of breath
• Coughing up blood
• Chest pain
• Frequent infections like bronchitis and pneumonia
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Fatigue

What can you do?

Testing for radon is easy and inexpensive. Kansas State University National Radon Program Services offers low-cost test kits online. To order a test kit from KSU, go to sosradon.org. Kits can also be found at local hardware and home improvement stores.

If you find radon in your home, A properly installed radon mitigation system will harmlessly disperse the radon gas, making your home dramatically safer. The best part is that these mitigation systems are affordable to install and require minimal maintenance over their lifespan.

I’m ordering a radon testing kit ASAP. This is something that’s easy to do and can help prevent serious diseases. Please get one for your home, too.

Take care and stay safe.

Barbra Cohn cared for her husband Morris for 10 years. He passed away from younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2010. Afterward, she was compelled to write “Calmer Waters: The Caregiver’s Journey Through Alzheimer’s & Dementia”—Winner of the 2018 Book Excellence Award in Self-Help—in order to help other caregivers feel healthier and happier, have more energy, sleep better, feel more confident, deal with feelings of guilt and grief, and to ultimately experience inner peace. “Calmer Waters” is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Boulder Book Store, Tattered Cover Book Store,  Indie Bound.org, and many other fine independent bookstores, as well as public libraries.