Read time: 3 minutes.
The LUNGevity Conversations that Count speaker series offers an opportunity to stay informed, engage in critical discussions, and learn from top experts revolutionizing lung cancer care for underserved populations. The series is intended for healthcare professionals, community health equity champions, and anyone interested in equitable access to healthcare.
In July, we welcomed Jacquelyn E. Nixon, IASLC PRA, a lung cancer survivor and president of Citizens for Radioactive Radon Reduction (CR3). Jacquelyn shared how she works with communities to highlight the dangers of living and breathing high levels of radon gas and its connection to lung cancer. During her presentation, Jacquelyn shows how radon education bridges the gap between health, cancer care, and overall well-being.
What is radon? Radon is a naturally occurring, radioactive gas formed in the ground. It is invisible, odorless, and tasteless. When radon is trapped indoors—like in a house—it poses a risk to human health and is the second-leading cause of lung cancer.
You can watch the full video or use the timestamps to view specific sections.
Introduction 0:00-6:30
Jacquelyn was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2015, and through her own investigating found high levels of radon in her home—the likely cause of her cancer. Since then, she’s dedicated her time to raising awareness of radon, educating others on its dangerous effects, and teaching advocates how to promote radon testing.
Importance of Radon Education 6:30-15:15
Jacquelyn begins her presentation by sharing how radon education bridges the gap between health, cancer care, and overall well-being.
Connects environmental exposures to health outcomes
Raises awareness that where we live impacts how we live. Shifts the focus from treatment to prevention.
Integrates public health with cancer care
Brings healthcare providers, cancer care specialists, and public health professionals into a shared space of early detection and risk reduction.
Empowers communities for health equity
Low-income and underserved communities often face the highest radon exposure risk. Education helps close this gap by promoting equitable access to testing, resources, and mitigation solutions—making environmental safety part of social justice.
Promotes holistic well-being
Safe homes create healthier lives, giving families physical safety, emotional peace of mind, and a greater sense of control over personal health.
Strengthens health literacy and cross-sector collaboration
Radon education enhances public understanding of environmental health and encourages collaboration between sectors—housing, health, and policy—to deliver more effective, community-centered solutions.
Testing for Radon and Understanding Radon Levels 15:15-26:15
Radon is a naturally occurring, radioactive gas that is formed in the ground. It becomes a danger to human health when it’s trapped indoors. Testing for radon involves taking measurements inside of buildings, at the lowest level, closest to the ground.
To learn about the different methods of radon testing, make sure to start watching at 17:20. Jacquelyn shares a chart from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showing the dangers of different radon levels, noting that a level of 4 pCi/L or higher is the point at which taking action to reduce the level of radon is recommended.
This Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) map shows radon levels across the U.S.
How Can We Prevent Radon Exposure? 26:15-50:35
Jacquelyn goes into detail on each of her suggestions for preventing radon exposure:
- Raise awareness of the health impacts
- Improve access to environmental data and share it with healthcare professionals
- Conduct more environmental research and collect more data
Once implemented, these actions can lead to:
- Increased awareness of radon in the healthcare field
- Increased detection of lung cancer
- Improved benchmark statistics
- Improved organization of statistical and user-producer relationships
- Improved quality, timeliness, and relevance of data
Audience Q&A 50:35-73:00
Questions asked include:
- Does your organization do anything around advocating for lung cancer screening?
- Can you share more about the research being done in Canada to study radon?
- What’s the best way for a school to test for radon?
- Why does it take so long to change policy and get people to take action?
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