Exposure to Radon as a Public Health Issue- A Review

Radon (222Rn) is a noble gas formed from the decay of radium (226Ra), which is a decay product of Uranium (238U). Radon is an inert noble gas, having a half-life of 3.8 days emanating from rocks and soils and tending to concentrate in enclosed spaces like underground mines or houses. Radon was classified as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 1988, a review of the major studies of underground miners exposed to radon that were available in the 1990s and case-control study of residential radon exposure confirmed radon as a carcinogen. This paper reviews the publications of the World Health Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency and other relevant publications specifically on sources and historical perspectives of radon, the association between lung cancer and radon, health effects and radon risk communication.