Survivors of Radon-Induced Lung Cancer Speak Out
Elizabeth Hoffmann of Milwaukee, Wisconsin is a survivor of radon induced lung cancer. Although, she has never smoked, her 15-year exposure to dangerous levels of radon in her home resulted in doctors having to remove the cancerous lower lobe of her left lung prior to her 38th birthday.
(PRWEB) November 8, 2004 -- Elizabeth Hoffmann of Milwaukee, Wisconsin is a
survivor of radon induced lung cancer. Although, she has never smoked, her
15-year exposure to dangerous levels of radon in her home resulted in doctors
having to remove the cancerous lower lobe of her left lung prior to her 38th
birthday.
Today, Liz announces the creation of a new website for Cancer
Survivors Against Radon www.cansar.org. Its purpose is to put a face on radon by
empowering sufferers of radon-induced lung cancer (and their families) with a
unified voice and to prevent LC victims from remaining clueless.
Since
few oncologists provide a potential explanation for the cause, most non-smokers
diagnosed with lung cancer never make the association with radon exposure. Liz
would remain clueless herself, if it had not been for the determination of her
family to find out why. Her cousin mentioned radon as a possibility to her
father, who tested Liz’s house for radon upon her return from the hospital. The
results were over twice EPA’s Recommended Radon Action Level.
The CANSAR
Registry enables non-smoking lung cancer patients and their families to register
with the organization and order a free radon test kit for their home. Survivors
and their families can choose to join others who are committed to warning the
public about the danger of indoor radon. Approximately 50% of the people
diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked or are former smokers, including a
17% occurrence in never smokers.
“While it is obviously too late to
preclude our cancer, our stories may convince others to prevent deadly radon
exposure by testing and fixing,” says Liz. “We can also shape public policy by
convincing lawmakers and government agencies to treat the radon issue and lung
cancer with the seriousness it deserves. But it’s difficult to put together an
advocacy group when 85% of the victims die within five years of being diagnosed.
They’re just struggling to survive”.
Lucky for
Liz, they caught her cancer early. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and
EPA blame radon exposure for the deaths of 21,000 Americans annually. But, their
deaths, like Liz’s cancer, could have been prevented. A simple radon test at the
time she bought her home in 1988 would have alerted her and her husband to fix
their house before moving in.
In April of this year Dennie Edwards, a
real estate agent for Realty-One in Elyria, Ohio went to the doctor with a very
bad cold. After the doctor performed a chest x-ray to check for pneumonia, he
was shocked to find a 4.5-centimeter mass in his left lung. Like Liz, Dennie had
never smoked. But, even though he had been a real estate agent for 31 years, he
had never bothered to test his house for radon.
“To protect my
liability, I always informed my clients that radon testing prior to purchase was
an option, but truthfully, I really didn't care if they tested or not,” says
Dennie. “Now I had to wonder whether my lung cancer had been caused by radon
exposure.”
While the doctor scheduled his surgery, Dennie scheduled a
radon test. The result was 10 pCi/l, (two and a half times the EPA's recommended
Action Level). He had lived in the home for 12 years. He immediately called a
contractor to have a mitigation system installed. Two days later he had surgery.
“I thought I was surely going to die,” says Dennie. “When I woke up
choking with tubes in my throat, panic set in.” They had removed his entire left
lung.
“I'm getting better. I can walk up to a mile,” he continues. “
But, I can no longer dance, lift things, or exert myself. My clients now get a
very personal testimonial about the importance of testing for radon.”
Dr.
Lane Mathis Price, Medical Director and Oncologist at the Decatur (AL) General
Oncology Center has seen her share of lung cancer victims.
“People come
into my office and say Doc Price I just don’t understand it. How can this happen
to me? I don’t smoke. Nobody ever smokes around me. How can I have lung
cancer?"
"Convincing the public that radon is dangerous is made more
difficult because the nation’s leading housing authority, (the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development) refuses to take action to prevent radon
exposure in our homes,” says Price. “ HUD requires a termite letter to qualify
for a mortgage, yet to my knowledge a termite never killed anybody. Why are they
not requiring a radon test?”
“Never underestimate the importance of
prevention in all aspects of your life,” warns Dr. Michael Dick, Director of
Internal Medicine at Decatur Adult Medicine. “If you’re a lung cancer victim
aware of all the ways it is impacting you and your family – you’d be kicking
yourself if you knew something a simple as a radon detection device would have
allowed you to prevent this from occurring.”
"There also needs to be a
much greater effort to find a cure," explains Liz. "Even though lung cancer
kills more Americans than breast, prostate and colorectal cancers combined, very
little money is spent on lung cancer research."
In 2003, approximately
$1,740 was spent on research per lung cancer death, compared with:$13,649 per
breast cancer death, $10,560 per prostate cancer death and $4,581 per colorectal
cancer death.
Elizabeth Hoffmann and Dr. Lane Mathis Price will each
address the 2004 International Radon Conference in Newport, RI November
8-10.
For more survivor accounts go to www.cansar.org.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/11/prweb174944.htm