Date Published: 01/31/2020 [Source]
A former USA Olympic hockey star wants everybody in America to be aware of a gas that causes lung cancer.
Rachael Malmberg was a former Olympic hockey player who is also a lung cancer survivor. Shockingly, the cause of her cancer had nothing to do with cigarette smoking and second-hand smoke. Instead, Malmberg discovered that it was from a toxic gas called "radon."
According to EPA, breathing radon over time increases the risk of lung cancer. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. In fact, U.S. estimates about 21,000 people die each year from radon-related lung cancer.
Radon gas has been a very dangerous problem because it is commonly present in homes and buildings. However, what's worse is that radon can't be seen, smell, or tasted.
The ex-Olympic hockey player never thought radon was the cause until after doing some research about the dangerous gas. Upon learning about radon, she quickly decided to test have her home tested, News5 Cleveland reported.
"People think lung cancer, they think smoker or secondhand smoke or older with asbestos and I didn't fit any of that mold," Malmberg revealed.
Determined to know more about radon, Malmberg also went back and tested her childhood home. To her surprise, results from both tests showed high levels of the poisonous gas.
After years of fighting cancer and researching about radon, Malmberg wants to share her story and provide awareness about the dangers of the said gas present in most homes.