Have Your Home Measured for Radon NOW
Radon Causes Lung Cancer
What
Is Radon?
Radon,
an inert, invisible, colorless, tasteless, radioactive gas, is a
naturally occuring decay product of radium, which itself is a decay
product of uranium. Uranium is present virtually everywhere in soil
and rocks. Because
radon is an inert gas (i.e., non-reactive with other chemicals)
and because it is present virtually everywhere, all homes contain
some radon.
Radon gas commonly seeps into a home's basement through cracks and
drain apertures. The
concentration of radon can vary significantly among homes even in
the same neighborhood. The
Minnesota Department of Health estimates that about one-third (1/3)
of all Minnesota homes have sufficient radon gas to pose a serious
health risk to occupants. On
average throughout the United States, radon concentration in homes
is about 1.3 pCi/L; in the outside air, radon concentration is about
0.4 pCi/L. The
EPA warning limit is 4 pCi/L. A
picocurie (pCi) represents 2.22 disintegrations per minute, or 3197 disintegrations
per 24 hours. The
cancer danger derives from alpha particle emission arising from
decay of radon and its progeny, polonium and bismuth. Bronchial
epithelium of the lungs is very susceptible to damage from these
energetic, highly charged alpha particles. |