Radon Defined

Radon is a colourless, odourless radioactive gas that occurs naturally in our environment. It is a product of the natural radioactive decay of uranium found as a trace element in most rocks, soil and water.

Radon Risk Assessment

Radon risk evaluation includes consideration of the following issues:

• source (material capable of producing radon)
• transportation (means by which radon can travel from source into a dwelling)
• trap (restricted ventilation, which allows radon accumulation)

Radon Concentration Factors

The amount of radon in a building is dependent upon several factors. These factors include the geology, a driving force, pathways into the building, and the ventilation rate. As the concentration of uranium is in the underlying soil increases, so does the strength of the radon. Radon is transported to buildings more easily through permeable soils. Buildings can create pressure differentials that will draw in the soil gases. Radon can enter the building through many paths such as cracks in the foundation, utility penetrations, sumps, and floor drains. The ventilation rate of the building affects the final radon concentration.

The EPA has made the recommendation of no long-term radon exposures above 4 pico couries/liter (pCi/L). This action level was based on both health and economics. The only way to tell if a building has elevated levels of radon is to have it tested.  Radon test kits are inexpensive and easy to use.

Radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the US. Radon is a colourless, odourless radioactive gas that occurs naturally in our environment. It is a product of the natural radioactive decay of uranium found as a trace element in most rocks, soil and water.

Radon and Lung Cancer

Radon is estimated to cause about 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year, according to the EPA’s 2003 Assessment of Risks from Radon in Homes. This assessment reinforces EPA’s recommendations on radon that homeowners should still test and fix their homes for radon.

Death by lung cancer from radon exposure exceeds the number of deaths per year due to drunk driving, falls in the home, drownings and home fires!

Radon and Lung Cancer Stories from CanSAR.org

The purpose of the website Cansor.org is to put a face on radon, empowering sufferers of an apparent radon-induced lung cancer (and their families) with a voice.

Here’s just one of the heart-wrenching stories from this informative site:

Joe Linnertz
On Nov. 2, 2005, my husband, Joe had a blood test that showed his liver enzymes where elevated. After more tests on Dec 27, we found that he had lung cancer that had spread to his liver and bones. We asked the doctor what causes lung cancer and he said smoking and radon gas. We didn’t know what radon was and Joe hadn’t smoked for 27 years. Joe died on February 8, 2006

I checked the Internet and saw I could buy a radon test kit at the hardware store. Our home tested 11.2 pCi/L, and we have lived in this house for 18 years. The house has now been mitigated and tests at 1.1 pCi/L.

If we had just known about this silent killer and if someone had told us of its deadly power and how easy it is to test and mitigate, we would have done it. Only a test can determine if you are living in a high level radon environment, and-often-only a test can determine if you are living with early stage cancer.

Joe was a gentle, brave, faithful and courageous man and decided he didn’t want the chemotherapy and would let God take him when He was ready. Joe was my light and my strength.

About 2 or 3 weeks after Joe died, I prayed to God to give me a purpose for my life. I got my answer very quickly. I will dedicate the rest of my life to radon reform and education.

…Gloria Linnertz

Read more stories and explore this valuable site at Cansar.org.

How can people know if they have an elevated level of radon in their homes?

Testing is the only way to know if a person’s home has elevated radon levels. Indoor radon levels are affected by the soil composition under and around the house, and the ease with which radon enters the house. Homes that are next door to each other can have different indoor radon levels, making a neighbor’s test result a poor predictor of radon risk. In addition, precipitation, barometric pressure, and other influences can cause radon levels to vary from month to month or day to day, which is why both short- and long-term tests are available.

Buy your home radon test kit today!

Elevated Levels of Radon Gas IS a Health Risk

Time and again we are astounded at the significant affect radon gas has on the health of our nation, and yet most people are decidedly unaware of this issue or unwilling to take the simple steps to determine if their home or office has elevated levels of radon gas.

A simple, easy and cheap radon test is the first step to accessing yours and your family’s risk for radon gas exposure.

Radon Gas Facts — Did you know?

If you’re still unsure about the harmful effects of radon gas on you and your family hopefully these radon facts will get your attention and light a fire under you to test your home and office for radon gas.

Radon Facts

• Breathing home indoor radon causes nearly one hundred times more deaths each year than carbon monoxide poisoning.
  
• Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking.
  
• Some 20,000 people will die this year due to breathing too much radon without even knowing it.

What is Radon?

Radon is an invisible radioactive gas that seeps into homes undetected through foundation cracks, and can reach harmful levels if trapped indoors. It travels up from underground sources of uranium in the earth’s crust. EPA estimates that one in 15 homes will have a radon level of four PicoCuries per liter (pCi/L) of air or more, a level the agency considers high.

How to Prevent Radon Related Health Issues

The radon threat is preventable with some simple steps. In existing homes, families can begin protecting themselves by buying an easy-to-use radon test kit to determine if a high level exists.

A high level of radon gas can be lowered simply with a straight-forward radon venting system installed by a contractor. In new homes, builders can easily and economically include radon-resistant features during construction, and home buyers should ask for these.

EPA also recommends that home buyers ask their builder to test for radon gas before they move in.

Effects of Radon Prevention

Radon preventive actions have saved an estimated 6,000 lives in the last 20 years. EPA has a goal to double that number, to 12,000 lives saved, in the next five years. All Americans can contribute to saving someones life by testing and reducing high levels in existing homes or testing and building radon-resistant new homes

Test your home for radon gas!

Radon and Lung Cancer

Radon is estimated to cause about 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year, according to the EPA’s 2003 Assessment of Risks from Radon in Homes. This assessment reinforces EPA’s recommendations on radon that homeowners should still test and fix their homes for radon.

Death by lung cancer from radon exposure exceeds the number of deaths per year from drunk driving, falls in the home, drownings and home fires!

 Lung Cancer in the US Facts

• Approximately 215,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in the U.S. each year – over 100,000 women and nearly 115,000 men. This means an American is diagnosed with lung cancer every 2.5 minutes.¹
• Lung cancer kills more than 160,000 people annually – more people than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined.¹
• Lung cancer is responsible for more than 29% of all cancer-related deaths every year

~ Excerpted from Lung Cancer Facts

Radon Health Risks and Lung Cancer

Radon has been classified as a know human carcinogenand has been recognized as a significant health problem by groups such as the Centers for Disease Control, The American Lung Association, the American Medical Association, and the American Public Health Association. Furthermore, risks from in-home radon exposure have been a major concern for the EPT. Read the entire health risk assesment about radon and lung cancer.

Radon Health Risk Solutions

Radon testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk from radon. The EPA and the Surgeon General recommend testing all homes below the third floor for radon. The EPA also recommends testing in schools.

Testing for radon is inexpensive and easy - it should only take a few minutes of your time. Millions of Americans have already tested their homes for radon gas levels.

Where Did Radon Gas Come From?

Radon gas comes from the natural, radionactive breaakdown of uranium in the soil. Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas that you can’t see, smell or taste.

What is Uranium

[caption id="attachment_17" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Uranium Ore is more common that gold, silver or mercury"][/caption]

Uranium is a very dense, radioactive metallic element, naturally occurring in most rocks, soil, and even in the ocean! It is not at all rare, and in fact occurs more commonly than gold, silver or mercury.

Where is Radon Found 

Radon can be found all over the US. It can get into any type of building — homes, offices, and schools — and result in a high indoor radon level. Testing radon levels is easy and if your radon level is 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggest that you take immediate action to mitigate the presence of radon in your home, office or school.

How Does Radon Get into Buildings

There are 5 possible sources of radon and they are the:

1. Ground underneath the structure

2. Building Materials

3. Water Supply

4. Gas Supply, and

5. Outside Air

The most common source of elevated radon levels inside a building are due to the ground underneath the structure. The amount of radon that enters a building from the ground is influenced by four factors including the radon concentration in the soil, permeability of the ground, entry routes into homes and under-pressure of homes. (Excerpted from Radon Guide)

Causes of High Radon Concentration inside a Stucture

High levels of radon occur when the rate of entry of radon into a building exceeds the rate at which the radon is removed or ventilated. Increases ventilation alone does not always decrease the radon levels present in a home. The relationship between the underpressure of a home and the ventilation rate is essential to effective radon mitigation.

Radon Gas Fact #1 Radon Gas Causes Indoor Air Pollution and Threatens You and Your Family’s Health

An estimated one out of every 15 homes in the United States has radon levels above 4pci/L. To determine if your home has elevated levels of radon gas all you need to do is peform a simple test for radon. If the test shows that your home has a radon gas level at or above the 4pci/L the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends you take steps to clear radon gas from your home.

Radon Gas Fact #2 Indoor Air Pollution as High as FIVE Times Worse that Outdoor Air

Johns Hopkins` Bloomberg School of Public Health found that in many cases, the level of indoor pollution was twice that of outdoor (some studies claim as much as 5 times higher) and that the presence of these elevated levels of pollution significantly increased asthma symptoms in the children being studied. Elevated levels of radon are a major factor in poor indoor air quality. Test your home for radon.

Radon Gas Fact #3 Unlike Outdoor Air Quality, Indoor Air Quality is Not Regulated

It is alarming that radon is the cause of more deaths annual than drunk drivers, yet no regulations currently exist for indoor air quality, not even in schools or day care facilities!

Radon Gas Fact #4 Improving Indoor Air Quality is Simple

The good news is that indoor air pollution is infinitely more controllable than outdoor air pollution. Radon testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk from radon. Testing for radon is inexpensive and easy - it should only take a few minutes of your time.