What is Radon?
Radon is a radioactive gas. It comes from uranium and radium in soils, which can be found everywhere in the world. Uranium is present in rocks such as granite, shale, phosphate and pitchblende. Uranium breaks down to radium, which then decays into radon. This gas can easily move up through the soil into the atmosphere. Natural deposits of uranium and radium, not man-made sources, produce most of the radon present in the air.
Radon is in the soil and air everywhere in varying amounts.
People cannot see, taste, feel, or smell radon. There is no way to sense the presence of radon.
Radon levels are commonly expressed in picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L), where a picocurie is a measure of radioactivity.
*Dark Areas Indicate High Radon Levels
The national average of indoor radon levels in homes is about 1.3 pCi/L. Radon levels outdoors, where radon is diluted, average about 0.4 pCi/L.
Radon in the soil can be drawn into a building and can accumulate to
high levels. Every building or home has the potential for elevated levels
of radon. All homes should be tested for radon, even those built with
SANI-TRED radon protection features.
EPA recommends taking action to reduce indoor radon levels when levels
are 4 pCi/L or higher.
Should You Be Concerned About Radon Gas?
Yes!
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States!
Radon is a colorless, odorless gas that can cause lung cancer. Your customers rely on you to construct a high quality, safe home. You can easily make a difference in how much radon gets into the homes you build. By using a handful of simple building practices and common materials, you can effectively lower the radon level in the homes that you build, and build most radon problems right out of the house.
Radon Is A Significant Health Risk
When radon enters a home, it decays into radioactive particles that have a static charge, which attracts them to particles in the air. These particles can get trapped in your lungs when you breathe. As the radioactive particles break down further, they release bursts of energy which can damage the DNA in lung tissue. In some cases, if the lung tissue does not repair the DNA correctly, the damage can lead to lung cancer.
Not everyone exposed to elevated levels of radon will develop lung cancer, but your risk of getting radon-induced lung cancer increases as your exposure to radon increases (either because the radon levels are higher or you live in the home longer). Smokers who have high radon levels in their homes are at an especially high risk for getting radon-induced lung cancer.
The evidence that radon causes lung cancer is extensive and based on: human data taken from studies of underground miners carried out over more than 50 years in five countries, including the United States and Canada; human data from studies in homes in many different nations, including the U.S. and Canada; and biological and molecular studies.
Radon decay particles are breathed into the lungs |
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Radon is classified as a Class A carcinogen (known to cause cancer in humans) |
Energy released from radon decay products damages DNA |
Some other Class A carcinogens are arsenic, asbestos, and benzene. |
Is Radon A Health Problem In Homes?
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States!
Radon causes about 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year.
The following is a sample of organizations which state that radon is a health threat in homes:
- American Medical Association
- American Lung Association
- Centers for Disease Control
- National Cancer Institute
- National Academy of Sciences
- Environmental Protection Agency
The risk of developing lung cancer from radon has been clearly demonstrated in underground miners. Did you know that the average lifetime radon exposure for the general population is about the same as the levels of exposure at which increased risk has been demonstrated in underground miners?
A study released by the National Academy of Sciences on February 19, 1998 called "The Health Effects of Exposure to Indoor Radon" is the most definitive accumulation of scientific data on indoor radon. The report concludes that radon causes 15,000 - 22,000 deaths per year, making it the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. and a serious public health concern.
Have You Heard Of Stanley Watras?
Stanley J. Watras was a construction engineer at the Limerick nuclear power plant in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. One day, on his way to work, he entered the plant and set off the radiation monitor alarms which help protect workers by detecting exposure to radiation. Safety personnel checked him out, but could not find the source of the radiation. Interestingly, because the plant was under construction at the time, there was no nuclear fuel at the plant. They discovered the source of radiation exposure when Watras's home was tested and was measured to have very high radon levels (2,700 pCi/L).
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