Radon Discovered

Radon was discovered by a German chemist named Friedrich Ernst Dorn in 1900 while studying radium’s decay chain. Originally named niton after the Latin word for shining, “nitens” it has been known as radon since 1923.

Where does Radon Gas Come From?

Radon is produced by the natural disintegration of radium, which is a lustrous, white radioactive element produced by the decay of uranium, and sometimes found in rock or bedrock. 

Effects of Radon

The effects of Radon have been with us for a long time, dating back to the middle ages. Also, Radon has been present in the earth’s crust for billions of years. During that time, however, relatively little was know about Radon or its effects other than that miners were know to die at unusually young ages.

The Study of Radon

It was not until the beginning of the 19th century in the United States that epidemiological studies conclusively demonstrated an unusual incidence of lung cancer among uranium miners. From these finding occupation limits were established for radon concentrations in uranium mines.

The danger of radon exposure in dwellings was discovered in 1984 by Stanley Watras, an employee at the Limerick nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania began testing homes for radon and found elevated levels of radon in them as well.

Radon Regulation

Regulations set by the Environmental Protection Agency state that the amount of radon in the air is measured in “picocuries of radon per liter of air,” or “pCi/L.” Sometimes test results are expressed in Working Levels, “WL,” rather than picocuries per liter of air. A level of 0.016 WL is usually equal to about 4 pCi/L in a typical home.

The U.S. Congress has set a long-term goal that indoor radon levels be no more than outdoor levels; about 0.4 pCi/L of radon is normally found in the outside air. EPA recommends fixing your home if the results one long-term test or the average of two short-term tests show radon levels of 4 pCi/L (or 0.016 WL) or higher. With today’s technology, radon levels in most homes can be reduced to 2 pCi/L or below. You may also want to consider fixing if the level is between 2 and 4 pCi/L.