[Ora]

Maryanne,

I am so sorry to learn about your family and will certainly keep all of you in my prayers.

I am a radiation safety specialist and know that there is much study regarding radon exposure in the home. Houses are built much tighter now than years ago and studies suggest that radon gas is more prevalent in homes nowadays. Radon is a radioactive gas and is a decay daughter from naturally occurring radiation - thoriums, uraniums and radiums in soil, brick, rock and other building materials. A buildup of these gases can indeed be toxic. Homes with basements are also suspect because it can build up substantially there. I have not done this but I understand that you can obtain do-it-yourself test kits or contact your local health department for testing. I'm certainly not an expert on this but it is another potential source to explore.

We know that radiation can cause cancer as well as cure it. I've worked around this stuff for 30 years so I wonder if my cancer may have come from these sources too. I have lost a lot of good friends to cancer that I have worked with over the years, but really can't tell if it's out of the normal range or not. Good luck and God Bless.