How Radon Testing Could Have Prevented Lung Cancer in this Former USA Olympian

Former U.S. Women's ice hockey Olympian, Rachael Malmberg, a previous individual from the U.S. Ladies' ice hockey Olympic team was totally unaware that the house she grew up in as a child and the home she occupied as an adult would contain enormous levels of a gas called radon and how important radon testing is, until she unfortunately discovered it after he was diagnosed with lung cancer, stage four.

After her diagnosis, Malmberg began to research regarding lung cancer. Before that, she never thought about it. Obviously, she had a full and exciting healthy life

The former Olympian was a 33 year old mom. She didn't smoke and made daily exercise part of her life. At this time she was undergoing military training. She suddenly began to feel back pain as well as pain in her ribs. When she visited her doctor, she was prescribed an MRI. The news was unfortunately dire. She had cancer in her lungs and metastasized into her lymph nodes as well as a brain malignancy.

Radon gas can creep into a home in various ways. The number one entry point is through the porous concrete foundation. That foundation often contains cracks and crevices. The U.S EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) estimates that one in 15 homes in the United States has dangerous levels of radon. Many states report much higher averages. For example, Florida reports 1 in 5 FL homes has elevated radon. Racine, Wisconsin reports some counties test more than 40 percent elevated levels.

The EPA refers to "safe" exposure to levels below 4 pCi/L. Any indoor air at or above this number should mitigate the problem right away.

After researching her childhood home, she found the radon measurement at 7.9 pCi/L. Malmberg's current Minnesota house measured 6.9 pCi/L.

The hockey player addressed the elevated radon in her home by installing a radon mitigation system.

At the point when radon is breathed in, radioactive particles enter, harming and causing havoc to the cells that line the lung which engenders and makes a dangerous cell that starts partitioning and causes malignant cell.

Malmberg had a partial lung removed n 2017. This surgery also involved removing 22 lymph nodes and she also under went stereotactic brain radiation.

She continues to get treatment with targeted therapy in order to keep cancer from getting the best of her and continues her work as a loving mom and live life as normal as possible.

Ms. Malmberg's story is not alone, there are countless stories of radon-induced lung cancer malignancies happening in the U.S. Often, radon is not mentioned until a home inspector finds it through testing in real estate transactions or in this case, awareness brought on by a lung cancer diagnosis. January is radon action month. Often there may be advertisements and more social conversation about radon. We can only hope that more real life stories like this, will keep this issue at the forefront of our doctors and politicians. In the case of radon awareness and how radon testing saves lives.

We applaud Rachael Malmberg for bringing forth her radon story, so that she can help bring awareness to this invisible killer.