Date Published: 05/04/2020 [Source]
Researchers in the University of Kentucky College of Nursing's BREATHE (Bridging Research Efforts and Advocacy Toward Healthy Environments), in conjunction with the Kentucky Geological Survey, the UK College of Public Health, Area Health Education Centers (AHEC), and other community partners in Kentucky were awarded a $2.6 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to engage and educate citizens of Kentucky on the increased risk of lung cancer due to environmental exposures from radon and tobacco smoke.
"Kentuckians experience a trifecta in lung cancer," said Ellen J. Hahn, PhD, principal investigator of the new grant. "Our residents smoke tobacco at high rates; our geology puts us at risk for high radon exposure; and two-thirds are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke at work. This grant will help us develop and test a novel approach to reducing radon risk in our state."
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is formed when radioactive compounds break down in rocks, soil and groundwater. It cannot be seen, smelled or tasted, and people are exposed by breathing radon in air when it comes in through gaps and cracks in their homes. It is the second-leading cause of lung cancer after tobacco smoking.
Radon is a danger for everyone, but the effects of radon gas are made worse by also breathing tobacco smoke. Radon gas attaches to dust and smoke in the air and can be inhaled. The risk of lung cancer increases dramatically when people are exposed to both radon and tobacco smoke. Kentucky has the highest rate of lung cancer in the country.