- a radioactive carcinogen found to some degree in most homes, and at elevated levels in 1 out of 3 homes in the U.S.
- It comes from the decay of Uranium and other elements in the soil.It is 1,000,000 times more radioactive than Uranium.
- it is an invisible, odorless, tasteless gas considered by the US EPA to be the number one cause of lung cancer among non smokers.
- it increases by ten fold[1000%] the likelihood of lung cancer in smokers. It kills 70 times more people each year than accidental exposure to Carbon Monoxide.
- officially recognized as a public health hazard in the 1980's .
- mentioned in european mining records as early as the 1400's as " lung tumors caused by an invisible gas."
- it is responsible for over 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year. That is more than from breast, colon, and pancreatic cancer combined.
-Radon is the #1 home cancer problem. Lung cancer is the #1 cancer killer.
-Radon caused lung cancer deaths exceed the deaths caused by drunk driving, home fires, firearms, and home falls combined.
- Outdoor radon levels are usually below .50 due to dilution from outdoor air.
- if you spend eight hours in a room with a radon level of 10.0 pCi/l it is similar to smoking a pack of cigarettes.
- Having your home tested is the only way to know what the radon level is in your home. It may or may not be similar to a neighbor's level. If your level is 4.0 pCi/l or higher a mitigation system is recommended.
How it enters our homes:
Radon is contained in most soils and enters homes through cracks in the basement, and even directly through building materials like concrete.
As warm air rises through the roof a vacuum effect is created in all lower areas of our homes. Soil gases including radon are thus drawn into the home. Since radon is much heavier than air it tends to become concentrated in the lower levels.
Modern "tighter" construction practices also tend to trap radon's alpha particle radiation and the dust which carries it.
This creates [in central Ohio] concentrations which can be equivalent to smoking two packs or more of cigarettes a day.
Additional facts:
- 8 x heavier than air
- half-life of 3.8 days
- produced as a decay product of Uranium, Radium, and Thorium.
- produces radioactive daughter elements which also decay and emit dangerous particles.
- It ultimately stabilizes into the lighter element, Lead [Pb]. This can remain in lipid tissue [brain tissue for instance] as a 'heavy metal toxin' forever [see the study by the University of North Dakota linking this poisoning to Parkinson's disease and Alzheimers.
How it hurts us:
The Alpha particles emitted in the decay cycle attach to dust particles.
These are inhaled by us, and remain trapped in the extremely delicate tissue of our lungs during subsequent decay cycles.
The Alpha particles act like little shotguns in our lungs and damage cell structures and DNA strands.
As the body tries to heal the damage, destructive tumors are formed. Permanent lead poisoning also results from the ultimate decay product [see above].
