Protect Your Health - Test For 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, phospahate 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.
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 radon-resistant features. EPA recommends taking action to reduce indoor radon levels when levels are 4 pCi/L or higher.
Radon is classified as a Class A carcinogen (known to cause cancer in humans).
When radon enters a home, it decays into radioactive particles that have 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 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 just a sample of the organizations which state that radon is a health threat in homes:
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.
There is no known safe level of radon. As your exposure to radon is increased, so is your risk for developing lung cancer. Even radon levels below 4pCi/L pose some risk.
Homes have been found with radon levels above 20, 1000, and in rare cases even 2000 pCi/l. High indoor radon levels have been found in every state.
EPA, the Surgeon General, the Centers for Disease Control, and many other health organizations recommend that action be taken to reduce indor radon levels at or above 4.0 pCi/L, which is a reasonably achievable level of radon in homes using currently available cost-effective techniques.
[The above content is from the EPA document 402-K-01-002 April 2001 "Building Radon Out"]