‘I didn’t think it would be in my house’: Lung cancer survivor warns of radon risks
Global News
Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in Canada for nonsmokers, as the radioactive gas can build up to hazardous levels indoors.
During a routine health exam in March 2020, Kong Khoo, an oncologist at B.C. Cancer, was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer. He then underwent surgery to remove half of his right lung.
Khoo was a nonsmoker and said he had a gut feeling he knew where the cancer came from — radon exposure in his home.
“I’m a cancer specialist, I treat lung cancer,” he told Global News. “I had known that radon causes lung cancer at small percentages, but I didn’t think it was a problem for me and I didn’t think it would be in my house.”
He then ordered a radon detector and measured the levels of the gas in his Kelowna home. He found that radon levels were spiking in parts of his house, particularly in the basement where his son played Lego, he said.
“I knew right then that this is probably the main cause of my lung cancer,” said Khoo, adding that he is thankful doctors were able to find the cancer so early, as he didn’t have any symptoms.
“The radon detector was the most important $300 I spent in my life,” he said. He immediately hired a specialist to mitigate the radon by installing a system that safely diverted it through a pipe under his house.
As the weather takes a chilly turn and Canadians start retreating more indoors, Khoo and other health experts are warning about the invisible threat of radon gas that can quietly seep into homes, offices and schools.
Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium in soil and rock, according to Health Canada.
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