In both children and adults, lung cancer is the only health problem caused by radon poisoning. Experts disagree about whether children are more at risk of developing lung cancer than adults. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (a branch of the United States Department of Health and Human Services) states that the risk of lung cancer from radon poisoning is close to twice as high in children. This has been suggested to be caused by higher levels of harmful radioactivity in children's lungs because children breathe faster and have a different size and shape of lungs than adults. However, the United States Environmental Protection Agency claims that there is no clear scientific evidence that the risk of radon-induced lung cancer is higher in children.
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