Radon In The Home
Radon (Rn) is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas.
Radon is produced when trace amounts of uranium and radium
in the soil or rocks decay. The radon gas will then also
decay into radioactive solid particles, called radon
daughters or radon progenitors. Some of the short-lived
radon daughters attach themselves to small particles in
the air, which can be inhaled deep into the lungs. The
radon daughters may then damage dividing lung cells,
possibly resulting in lung cancer. Radon gas is thought to
be responsible for 5,000 to 20,000 lung cancer deaths per
year in the United States.
The major sources of radon are: soil that contains
radon-releasing material; water and natural gas that has
passed through underground areas containing radon;
solar-heating systems that use radon-emitting rocks to
store heat; granite rock; and uranium or phosphate mine
tailings.
Out-of-doors, radon poses little threat to our health
because it is in such a low concentration. Indoors,
however, radon can become more concentrated because of the
lack of ventilation in homes combined with exhaust fans
that draw air. Radon gas can seep into a house through
dirt floors, cracks in concrete floors and walls, floor
drains, sump pumps, and joints. Radon gas can also
accumulate in private wells and be released into the home
when water is used. This is normally not a problem for
large community water supplies. The level of radon that
can build up indoors depends upon the amount of radon in
the source material and the rate at which it is removed
from the home by ventilation. Homes tested throughout the
U.S. show a wide range of radon concentrations.
These quick, inexpensive steps advised by the EPA can
be taken to help lower your risks from radon exposure:
Stop smoking and discourage smoking in your home; it
may increase the risk of radon exposure.
Spend less time in areas with higher concentrations
of radon, such as the basement.
Whenever practical, increase the airflow into and
through your house, especially in the basement.
If you home has a crawl space beneath, keep the vents
on all sides of the house fully open all year.
There are two commercially-available radon detectors,
the charcoal canister and the alpha-track detector. Both
of these are exposed to the air in your home for a
specific time period and sent to a laboratory for
analysis. For additional information about radon, contact
the American Lung Association.