Radon: A General Overview
|
Radon is an inert gas found all
over the world. It originates in the rocks found under your house
|
|
Diagram showing the various pathways by which radon can enter a home. Image courtesy of montgomerycountymd.gov
|
Every rock in the world has traces of uranium in it. It is the break down of
the uranium in these rocks where radon gas gets it start. The gas is under
a positive pressure. The gas works its way through the soil and gets into
your home through cracks and breeches in your concrete slab. Radon can
enter your home through sump pits, plumbing rough-ins, crawlspaces, well
heads located in basements, French drains, and cracks. It does not matter
whether your home is one month old or one hundred years old, your house
has the potential to have a radon problem. Testing your home is the
only way to know the radon level in your home.
RADON HISTORY
The radon issue started in 1984 when an electrician was hired by a Nuclear plant to do some work. When he walked into the nuclear plant he set off the sensors that indicated nuclear contamination. After the plant was thoroughly inspected and found safe, the EPA (Enviromental Protection Agency) checked his house and found very high radon levels. The EPA wondered just how many homes in America have this problem and, consequently, the radon issue started. The EPA estimates that one out of every fifteen homes has a problem with radon.
|
|
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer.
|
RADON AND THE HEALTH PROBLEMS THAT IT CAUSES
Radon gas in itself is not what causes health problems. The gas decays like the uranium did in the rocks. When the gas decays, an energy particle is released. This is the Alpha particle. When this particle is inhaled, it attaches itself to the cells in the lung. The alpha particle then also decays and when that happens Gamma radiation now damages the cell that surround the alpha particle. If the cell is only damaged, the DNA sequence is changed and the cell repairs itself. Now, you have growing mutated cells in the lungs that cause cancer.
