http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/health/14043369.htm
Posted on Wed, Mar. 08, 2006

Lung cancer risks vary for those who don't smoke

Each year, lung cancer kills more than 160,000 people in the United States
-- more than breast, prostate and colon cancer combined, according to the
National Cancer Institute.

Eighty-seven percent of lung cancer patients are former smokers.

Dana Reeve was among the other 13 percent -- the more than 15,000
nonsmokers who die of the disease every year.

Risk factors for nonsmokers are not fully understood, but known risks
include:

• Secondhand smoke. Living or working around cigarette smokers increases
the risk of cancer for nonsmokers.

• Family history. In one large study published in the Journal of the
American Medical Association, having a parent with lung cancer more than
doubled the risk of developing the disease.

Family history may play an even more important role in cancers that affect
people at younger ages -- in the same study, having a parent who had lung
cancer before age 60 more than tripled the risk.

• Gender. Among nonsmokers, women are more likely to develop cancer than
men, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Researchers aren't sure why.

• Diet. Eating lots of fat and cholesterol, along with heavy drinking, may
increase the risk of developing the disease; diets rich in fruits and
vegetables may reduce the risk, according to the CDC.

• Radon gas. This colorless, odorless gas seeps into houses from
underground and is the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers,
according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

For information on measuring radon levels in a home, call the state
Division of Environmental Health or visit their website