ABSTRACT
Objective:
Exposure to
radon gas at home is the second largest cause of
lung cancer after
smoking and dramatically increases
smokers'
risk of
lung cancer.
State tobacco quitlines are uniquely positioned to inform
smokers about
radon, yet, to our
knowledge, none does so. We explored the feasibility of introducing free
radon tests via the tobacco quitline in
North Dakota, a
state with one of the highest
radon levels in the U.S.
Methods:
Five hundred consecutive callers to the ND Quits Tobacco quitline from February 2021 to February 2023 were invited to complete a brief
radon questionnaire and receive a free
radon test kit.
Radon tests were bar-coded so that the return rate of the tests and the
radon levels could be determined.
Results:
Two hundred fifty-one (51 %) callers completed the
questionnaire and seventy-five
radon tests were successfully returned to the
laboratory. More than one third of the test results were ≥ 4.0 pCi/L, the action level recommended by the EPA. Only 1 in 5 participants reported knowing that
radon caused
lung cancer.
Conclusion:
Radon knowledge among ND
smokers is poor.
Radon test distribution via quitlines is feasible and may be a valuable addition to quitline services, particularly in states with high
radon levels.