At Purely Green Environmental, we’ve been testing the air quality of homes and offices for over a decade now, so have come to know just how important it is to understand exactly what is in our indoor environments. From mold testing to overall air quality testing in Massachusetts, we’ve come to learn that the best judges of our success are our customers. This is why we always strive to bring them the most up to date industry related news and information.
Recent studies have shed light on an issue that we believe deserves far more public awareness than it currently does. A new report published by the American Lung Association (ALA) has concluded that lung cancer trumps breast cancer as the number one cause of cancer related deaths in women today.
The unfortunate fact about this report is that most women believe that breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer related deaths among women. A survey of 1,000 women who were asked to pick the leading cancer killer of women showed that 51% answered breast cancer while only 22% answered lung cancer. Because lung cancer is considered a “smoker’s disease” the average woman is more likely to believe that breast cancer isn’t as deadly as lung cancer.
Radon Gas is the Second Leading Cause of Lung Cancer
While smoking is still considered the leading cause of lung cancer, radon, a gas that occurs naturally in our environment, is the second leading cause of lung cancer. “Radon is a radioactive gas released from the normal decay of the elements uranium, thorium, and radium in rocks and soil, “states the National Cancer Institute. “It is an invisible, odorless, tasteless gas that seeps up through the ground and diffuses into the air.”
Radon is prevalent in New England because of our well known rocky coastlines and unique geological landscape. This is why testing for radon in your home or office is extremely important. According to the Environment Protection Agency, you should check with your State Radon Contact to find more information on local levels of radon and ways you can go about testing for its presence in your home or office. While Purely Green Environmental doesn’t test for radon levels, we strongly encourage our customers to be more aware of the detrimental effects of it and to take measures to find out if radon is present in their indoor environment.