ncreased TV watching is linked with excess weight.
Radon is second only to tobacco as the leading cause of lung cancer. Radon found in homes may contribute to as many as 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year. It is a more serious health threat to under-ground miners.
People who are exposed to both radon gas and tobacco smoke are more likely to get lung cancer than are people who are exposed to either one alone. Most radon-related deaths from lung cancer occur among smokers.
Researchers estimate that lowering indoor radon exposure would prevent about 30 percent of lung cancer deaths from radon. Of these, 86 percent would be among smokers or former smokers.
The general population's main exposure to benzene is inhaling air that contains it. About half of human exposures to benzene come from smoking and secondhand smoke. Other sources include vapors from heavy traffic and gas stations. Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene in the air can cause leukemia.
The Environmental Protection Agency says that benzene concentrations in the air have declined because reformulated gasoline is being used in many parts of the United States. This is an example of how changes to the environment can help to lower cancer risk.
More measures of environmental chemical carcinogen exposures—such as those reported by the National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—need to be tracked over time.
These environmental measures were chosen because of the availability of reliable national data showing trends over time. Additional environmental measures will be available for future editions of this report.
For more information on nutritional factors, see our pages on nutrition and the Food Guide Pyramid.
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