Is My Chronic Cough Caused by Asthma? Or Something Else?

What if my chronic cough is caused by something other than asthma? Like...lung cancer? Lungs can be cranky, and sometimes it is hard to figure out what is going on.

Is my cough from asthma or something else?

Sometimes a cough stems from an asthma flare. It could also be a fungal infection, pneumonia, RSV, COVID-19, or vocal cord dysfunction.

But what if you have a cough that won't go away? Could it be something more serious, like lung cancer?

You may think, “I don’t smoke – it can't possibly be lung cancer!” But did you know that you can develop lung cancer even though you have never smoked? It sounds crazy, but it is true. Sadly, one of my neighbors died of lung cancer. Later, the family found out they had an elevated radon level in their house. After smoking, radon is the second most common cause of lung cancer.¹

Radon linked with lung cancer

Radon is a colorless, odorless gas. It's also radioactive.

Where does radon come from?

Radon can be found anywhere. It starts out as uranium in rocks and soil, and decays to radon gas. When it's outdoors, it is diluted enough that it doesn't cause problems. But when high levels of radon gas are trapped in an enclosed space – like a house, business, church, or school – it can cause lung cancer.¹

How does radon get into houses, schools, churches, or businesses? It seeps in through cracks in the foundation or in gaps that surround pipes. Your house has lower air pressure than the surrounding soil. This makes it suck in the gas given off by the soil. If there is radon in the rocks and soil surrounding your house, the gas can be sucked into your house.²

How can radon cause lung cancer?

According to the National Cancer Institute, "Radon decays quickly, giving off tiny radioactive particles. When inhaled, these radioactive particles can damage the cells that line the lung."¹

How did scientists figure this out?

Experts noticed that uranium miners were dying of lung cancer at higher rates than miners who mined other minerals. This was confirmed by studies on lab animals that were exposed to elevated radon levels. It makes sense that our lungs don't like radioactive gas.¹

How common is it to have an elevated radon level in a house?

Nationally, radon is found in an estimated 1 out of every 15 homes. When I was house hunting, my geologist son consulted a geo-hazard map for a home I had chosen. It showed that my area was likely to have high radon levels. The only way to tell if my prospective house was elevated was to test for radon, so I did.¹

Testing for radon

You can get low-cost test kits from local health departments or your state’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). My $11 test kit was a short-term (3 to 7 days) charcoal test kit that I bought at my local health department. You can also use a long-term alpha tracker test kit (for 3 months to a year). Radon testing companies offer free testing with a continuous radon monitor (CRM) that can give you results in 48 hours.²

My house had an elevated radon level. If you have an elevated level, don’t panic! You can fix it with a radon mitigation system.

A certified radon contractor can drill a hole in the foundation of your home and install a suction pipe into crushed rock or soil beneath the concrete slab. The pipe can run up through closets in the house or up the outside wall (once it gets above the ground). A radon vent fan is then attached to the suction pipe to draw radon up the pipe and release the gas outdoors. Once it's mixed with air, it's no longer dangerous to breathe.²

I paid $1,200 for my mitigation system, but I have the peace of mind that my house is safe now.

Is this cough from asthma or something else?

Most people have never heard of radon, or its link to lung cancer. If you have a cough that won’t go away and your doctor has exhausted all other options, including an asthma-related cough, ask them about radon and the possibility of lung cancer. I hope that's NOT what happens to any of you reading this. But it has happened to people I know.