Alerting patients to the risk of radon.

The potential lung cancer risk from exposure to radon gas and the development of appropriate public health policy have been the subject of much discussion for several years. The American Lung Association has taken a leading role in educating the public on radon and other environmental hazards. This article presents background on radon, including the issues of risk assessment and policy development; reviews the current understanding of the hazards of exposure and the scope of the problem; describes how to test for radon; and discusses how to decrease radon levels.