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Connie Alexakos was a healthy 75-year-old woman when she was diagnosed with lung, bone, and liver cancer. "I thought I had allergies," Connie shared with UtahRadon.org. "I was coughing a lot and went to my [primary care physician]…we thought it was allergies and kept testing." After her cough worsened, her doctor eventually ordered a CT scan, then immediately sent her to Huntsman Cancer Institute for a non-smoking lung cancer diagnosis.
Unfortunately, this diagnosis was Connie's introduction to radon, a radioactive gas you can't smell that is common in Utah and is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. She wondered how it was possible that she had never heard of it and did the most critical first step you can do after learning about radon — she tested her home.
I want all Utahns to know that radon is the number one cause of non-smoking related lung cancer, and by the time you know about it and do something about it, it could be way too late.
–Connie Alexakos
Living in a home with high radon
Connie ordered a free test from Utah Radon Services for her home and her son's home — both of which tested high for radon at 14.0 and 26.0 pCi/L, respectively. For context, 10.0 pCi/L in a house has the equivalent lung cancer risk as smoking 20 cigarettes per day or receiving 500 X-rays per year. Leading health organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), recommend installing a radon mitigation system at 2.7 pCi/L.
Four years ago, Connie purchased a home in Kamas. No one told her how common radon is in Utah, especially in Summit County. In Kamas, 79% of the homes tested by Utah Radon Services were at or above the WHO's 2.7 pCi/L mitigation threshold,and in the nearby city of Heber, where Connie's son lives, 89% of homes have dangerous radon levels.
Radon education in government and healthcare
It took Connie two years to get a doctor to order a CT scan, and she wondered why so many doctors don't know that radon is such a problem, especially in Summit County. Connie had visited a local clinic for her cough for years and had there been any suspicion that radon could be the cause, her cancer may not have spread.
In an interview with UtahRadon.org, Eleanor Divver, Radon coordinator at the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), explained that Connie's experience is unfortunately common. She frequently receives calls from Utah residents asking why they've never heard of radon. "It's a great question. Why have we not done more to educate the public about what radon is; that it's easy to test for, that it's easy to fix?"
With an average of 1 in 3 Utah homes testing high for radon, the gravity of the situation can often be overwhelming. Divver explains, "When I get calls, it is heartbreaking. It's heartbreaking to share with loved ones and the individuals surviving cancer to say to them if you would have just tested for radon, you might have protected you and your family from this lung cancer diagnosis. If you test and you have high levels, you can fix it and you can save a life." Divver recently secured a grant to help underserved urban, rural, and tribal communities have greater access to radon testing and mitigation.
The Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) is also actively increasing radon awareness among its medical professionals and the general public. Dr. Wallace Akerley, director of the Lung Cancer Disease Center of Excellence at the HCI, has dedicated 20 years of his career to researching non-smoking/radon-induced lung cancer.
"Every Utah should know that radon exists. It's radioactivity. That's the piece that people have to understand. Radon is radioactivity, and anything that's radioactive can damage our DNA," he says.
The DEQ, HCI, and Akerly encourage every Utah resident to test their home for radon and to retest every two years. "It's a cause of cancer. If you don't test [your home], you don't know whether you have a dangerous house or not."
The future of non-smoking lung cancer treatments
Even in the past 10 years, treatments for radon-induced lung cancer have made strides and Connie is at the forefront of the fight. A primary drug she takes to treat her cancer entered the market in 2015 and she is currently one of 26 people testing a new supplemental medication to manage her condition. While the scientific advancements are encouraging, they can come at a high cost — just one of Connie's medications costs $16,000 per month.
Lowering radon levels with a radon mitigation systems
If a home tests high for radon, a radon mitigation system can be installed to dramatically lower the levels inside. "People hear the term 'mitigation' and think 'big dollars,' and while the average cost of a system runs around $1,700–2,000, that's far less expensive than lung cancer treatment. More importantly, it can save a life," shared Brad Callister, vice president of Utah Radon Services. Connie and her son had radon mitigation systems installed in their homes by Utah Radon Services last Fall.
Connie's plea
"I want all Utahns to know that radon is the number one cause of non-smoking related lung cancer, and by the time you know about it and do something about it, it could be way too late," shared Connie. "If I'd known about this at stage one, it could have been a much easier way to treat it."
For a free radon test, visit UtahRadon.org.
