Radon Exposure Linked to Increased Asthma Symptoms in Children

THURSDAY, Feb. 20, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- A radioactive gas could be contributing to asthma among schoolkids, researchers have found.

Children exposed to elevated levels of radon gas tended to have more asthma symptoms, results show.

“Residential radon has not previously been described as an environmental risk factor for asthma,” a team led by Dr. Wanda Phipatanakul, director of immunology research with Boston Children’s Hospital, concluded.

“For the first time, we demonstrate a relationship between residential radon exposure and airway inflammation and asthma symptoms among school-aged children with asthma,” researchers wrote recently in the journal Pediatric Pulmonology.