Radon theory

Since I had some comments on radon I'm going to talk about it because I was scared after hearing I had lung cancer that it caused it!
Of the 2 homes I have owed here in Colorado, both have had mitigation done.
My first home I mitigated about 6 mos after move in. It was a small ranch home and it had just a crawl space underneath it. No basement. So it was important to do as the furnace was placed in that crawlspace and blew up the air from down there everytime it ran. The radon level when I had my home inspection on it was less than 6.0 pci, so being that the EPA states it has to be less than 4.0 pci this wasn't a concern for me, however I did mitigate it anyways for resale value and for health purposes.
My second and current home was even worse. It was a level of 9.0 at move in. The sellers wouldn't mitigate it or reduce closing costs to pay for it, and I still wanted this home, so I went away with that negotiation. This home has both a crawlspace and a basement. Again, a 9.0 seems high but I never went into the basement.  I then started working out in the basement after my child was born 2 years ago as a new mom i couldn't get out of the house breastfeeding with a newborn.  My friend Stacia asked me if I had the radon checked lately , as she just had her home done recently and she lives 3 miles from me; it came back with a 12.0 pci level ( again the regulated rule is 4.0 pci). That seemed high and she said for my daughters sake as her bedroom is located above the crawl area and to have it checked out.

I purchased a charcoal kit on amazon for $25 bucks. Tested the basement per it's instructions and my level was 14.0 pci! The test was done in December during winter months. When I saw it I immediately called for mitigation bids. I went with a reputable company who guaranteed me less than 1.7pc in writing. I felt comfortable with it. They stuck a fan that runs all the time in the attic area of our garage and it pulls the air thru the concrete slab into and thru this fan. Sealed up my crawlspace and also my sump pit. Cost about $1800. It's not cheap and that is why I waited to do it so long!  Immediately after the mitigation was installed I did a check again and it was 0.08 pci!.  Well below the approved 4.0 pci!

I test every 6 mos now. And as soon as I had surgery I had another kit ordered from amazon to ensure the level stays below my warranty.
The photo shows my level of 0.04 pci at the beginning of August. Different time of year, which is good to test different season as the soil does different things summer vs winter.

Now, the theory of radon and lung cancer. I was so very worried, I kept asking my lung doctor over and over if radon could have caused the ALK gene mutation. He keeps assuring me it takes years and years of exposure to radon to create cancer. I told him i read online that working out in your basement with high radon is like smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day! He says based on the size of my tumor it was prob there for a long time, and 3 yrs of exposure to 14.0 pci radon would not have caused that size tumor in 3 yrs. Meaning it was there a lot longer than that, however, there is actually No WAY to tell. There is no way to actually test my tumor in a pathology manner to see if radon caused it.

I ask him ..
Then where does this crazy stat online, in my newsfeeds, everywhere on the www...say that radon is the 2nd leading cause of lung cancer and where does their stats come from if there is absolutely No way to prove it?!
He just shakes his head.

SMH is the answer to the theory? Those stats are bogus , unprovable , and quite frankly just more shit to get you scared over?...
But I did mitigate and it's done and hopefully even though not proven thru tumor tissue, will allow my daughter or my husband to not have to go thru what I am right now ever in their lives!