Study on the Incidence of Lung Cancer in Relation to Radon Exposure in Enclosed Spaces

An article published in Delo reports on a study by the Ljubljana Institute of Oncology that examined the impact of radon on the incidence of lung cancer in Slovenia. Radon is a radioactive gas with no smell, color, or taste, which can reach harmful concentrations in enclosed spaces. According to the study, approximately 5.5 percent of all lung cancer cases in Slovenia between 1978 and 2017 can be attributed to radon exposure in residential environments, which averages out to 60 cases annually. The highest radon concentrations were detected in the south and southeast of the country, where the risk of developing lung cancer is five to seven percent higher than elsewhere. Researchers linked data from the cancer registry, population statistics, and the radon map of Slovenia to establish this connection.

The findings of the study (in English) were published in the prominent scientific journal Cancers.