The Cause Of Lung Cancer

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Pages: 2

After smoking, ionizing radiation or more specifically, radon gas is the second biggest cause of lung cancer. Radon is a naturally occurring, colorless, odorless, radioactive gas noble gas. It is the product of radioactive decay of the elements uranium, thorium, and radium in rocks and soil. Radon is present in nearly all air but in small amounts.
When inhaled radon is mostly exhaled again. However, sometimes the radon atoms would decay while inside the lungs and release alpha particles and daughter nuclei. The daughter nuclei deposited in the lungs and airways would undergo further decay and release more alpha particles. It is these alpha particles that cause the increased risk of lung cancer by irradiating lung tissue. When the products of