This European Social Fund supported project is conducting an in vitro investigation into the effects of radon and ultraviolet radiation on human skin cells.

Radon is a naturally occurring gas produced by the radioactive decay of radium, found in uranium rich soils and rocks. Radon is responsible for half of the average person’s annual backgound radiation dose in the UK and a recent study has proposed that approximately 2% of non-melanoma skin cancer cases in the UK may be linked to radon exposure.

This study aims to examine this relationship by assessing the effects of radon exposure at the cellular level. Cell cultures will be exposed to varying levels of radon doses and analysed using a number of tests.

This research is particularly relevant to the South West, with the region possessing the highest skin cancer rate in the country – a factor commonly attributed to increased sunlight exposure in the area. However due to the geologic composition of the South West, it also has some of the highest radon levels in the UK – with residents receiving a background radiation dose significantly greater than the national average.

To unpick these competing factors, this study will examine the effects of varying levels of both radon and/or UV radiation upon skin cells.

Click here to access a review of the cellular and molecular carcinogenic effects of radon exposure, authored by Aaron Robertson and colleagues.