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Researchers have detected the toxic and unhealthy radon gas presence in indoor air in Dhaka city for the first time in the country.
The Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO) on Monday came up with the information in their study titled ‘Air Pollution in Bangladesh’.
Shahriar Hossain, secretary-general of the ESDO, told the FE at the study unveiling meeting that there was no available study and research over the presence and detection of toxic radon gas in Bangladesh.
“ESDO has officially announced the detection of the gas. We have found the gas presence in the indoor air of the city apartments during our research,” he added.
The ESDO finds the gas presence mainly in the bathroom and the kitchen air. The gas rises and comes out through the drainage pipes. And, the main cause of indoor air pollution is the improper ventilation system in the city apartments, said researchers of the study.
According to available information, radon gas is a naturally-occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer, and the gas is inert, colorless, and odorless. The gas is naturally in the atmosphere in trace amounts.
Breathing radon overtime of the gas can raise the risk of lung cancer, and EPA estimates that about 21,000 people die each year from radon-related lung cancer.