A 62-year-old woman has lived her entire life in a beautiful home in Iowa with her home office and a big family room in the basement. Nobody in her home ever smoked, yet she was just diagnosed with lung cancer. Which of the following is most likely a factor that led to her lung cancer?
carbon monoxide poisoning combustion byproducts of indoor cooking bacterial infections radon gas emissions.
The most likely factor that led to the woman's lung cancer is radon gas emissions.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can accumulate in homes, particularly in basements and lower levels, and is a known risk factor for lung cancer. Since the woman has lived in her home for many years and there is no history of smoking in her household, radon exposure is a plausible explanation for her lung cancer diagnosis.
While other factors like combustion byproducts from indoor cooking can contribute to lung cancer, they are generally less significant compared to radon exposure in non-smoking individuals.