People living in areas of high radon exposure warned of lung cancer risk

A cancer expert has warned the public to check whether their homes are in areas of high radon risk, after a new study found that living in such regions increases the risk of a lung cancer diagnosis.

Dr Robert O’Connor, head of research at the Irish Cancer Society, said radon is thought to be responsible for some 250 lung cancer cases in Ireland every year — a rate of more than one new case every second day.

Dr O’Connor’s warning came following the release of an Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) study commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which found a strong link between radon exposure and lung cancer diagnosis in Ireland.