Prevention
Empowering you to prevent and detect lung cancer
Anyone is at risk of getting lung cancer, but we know that there are several things that we can do to decrease our risk. Here are some resources to support prevention!
Smoking Cessation Resources
If you are a current smoker, the sooner you quit smoking the sooner you can lower your risk for getting diagnosed with lung cancer and other cancers and chronic diseases as well. There are many resources for quitting smoking. LCI recommends the NC Quitline and that you also have a conversation with your medical provider.
QuitlineNC provides free cessation services to any North Carolina resident who needs help quitting tobacco use. Quit Coaching is available in different forms, which can be used separately or together, to help any tobacco user give up tobacco.
Radon
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Each year upwards of 22,000 people die from radon-induced lung cancer.
What is radon?
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is formed when uranium decays in the soil. Uranium is in geological formations throughout North Carolina. When homes or other buildings are built on top of these geological formations, radon is pulled into the home and can concentrate to dangerous levels. Exposure to radon gas has been found to cause lung cancer.
How do I know if I should test for radon?
Every home in North Carolina is prone to having a level of radon gas and the NC Radon Program recommends that all homes be tested. This includes apartments, mobile homes, homes with basements, and homes without basements. Radon gas is natural and comes from the decay of uranium found in rocks, soil and building materials such as concrete. Testing your home for radon gas will help you determine the amount of radon you may be breathing.
How do I test for radon?
Testing your home for radon is as simple as opening a package, placing a radon detector in a designated area, and after the prescribed number of days (usually two to seven days), sealing the detector back in the package and mailing it to a lab for evaluation. Radon is measured in picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L), a measurement of radioactivity. The U.S. EPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that homes with radon levels at or above 4 pCi/L be repaired to reduce the amount of radon entering the indoor air.
Download these facts sheets about radon: