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Updated: Jun 27, 2025
A Protocol for Detecting and Scavenging Gas-phase Free Radicals in Mainstream Cigarette Smoke
Published on: January 2, 2012
Short Communication: Radon testing via a state tobacco quitline
David Schmitz1, Marilyn G Klug2, Gary G Schwartz2
1Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences, 1301 N Columbia Road, Grand Forks, ND 58202, United States.
Objective:
Exposure to radon gas at home is the second largest cause of lung cancer after smoking and dramatically increases smokers' risk of lung cancer. State tobacco quitlines are uniquely positioned to inform smokers about radon, yet, to our knowledge, none does so. We explored the feasibility of introducing free radon tests via the tobacco quitline in North Dakota, a state with one of the highest radon levels in the U.S.
Methods:
Five hundred consecutive callers to the ND Quits Tobacco quitline from February 2021 to February 2023 were invited to complete a brief radon questionnaire and receive a free radon test kit. Radon tests were bar-coded so that the return rate of the tests and the radon levels could be determined.
Results:
Two hundred fifty-one (51 %) callers completed the questionnaire and seventy-five radon tests were successfully returned to the laboratory. More than one third of the test results were ≥ 4.0 pCi/L, the action level recommended by the EPA. Only 1 in 5 participants reported knowing that radon caused lung cancer.
Conclusion:
Radon knowledge among ND smokers is poor. Radon test distribution via quitlines is feasible and may be a valuable addition to quitline services, particularly in states with high radon levels.
