Free Program Highlights Radon Risks, Tests and Solution
HIGH POINT, NC— (July 19, 2010) The Dusty Joy Foundation, a newly-formed North Carolina nonprofit organization, will present the program "Radon: Is Your Family at Risk?" at 6:30 pm, Wednesday, July 21, 2010, at the High Point Public Library at 901 North Main Street. The program is free and open to the public.
Dusty Donaldson, lung cancer survivor and founder of the Dusty Joy Foundation, will discuss "Uncommon Lung Cancer Facts," followed by a presentation by Radon Specialist Mike Lunsford with the NC Radiation Protection Section of the NC Environmental Health Division. Lunsford will instruct participants about how to test their homes for radon. He also will give an overview about what’s involved in removing radon from homes determined to have dangerously elevated levels.
Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive, invisible, odorless gas. Breathing air that contains radon causes lung cancer. Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer in people who never smoked and the number two cause of lung cancer in smokers and former smokers. Smokers and former smokers exposed to high radon levels have a significantly increased risk of developing lung cancer. Radon can get trapped in any type of building—homes, offices, and schools. Families exposed to high radon levels in their homes are at greatest risk because they usually spend most of their time at home. Radon testing is inexpensive and easy. If a problem is detected, relatively inexpensive options are available to remove the threat of radon from the home.
The Environmental Protection Agency predicts that 21,000 Americans will die from radon-induced lung cancer this year. Statewide, 7,772 North Carolinians will be diagnosed with lung cancer in 2010, according to the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry. Lung cancer will claim the lives of 5,914 North Carolina residents this year. In Guilford County, 393 residents will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year and 300 will die from the disease.
Lung cancer is the No. 1 cancer killer of men and women. Lung cancer kills more than breast, colon, prostate, liver, kidney and melanoma cancers combined. The mission of the Dusty Joy Foundation is to educate the public about the risks and warning signs of lung cancer and cultivate compassion for those touched by lung cancer.