Take steps to protect against radon

[struggle4progress]

The presence of radon gas in the home can be a problem that is easily ignored. The gas is odorless, tasteless and has no color. Unlike cigarette smoke, also a leading cause of cancer, radon cannot be sensed. However, radon is radioactive, resulting from the radioactive decay of radium in the ground. When radon decays in the air, atoms known as polonium 218 and polonium 214 are formed. These two atoms are metals that stick to things like dust, water molecules, walls and lung tissue. These atoms are also radioactive and when they decay, alpha particles are discharged causing damage to lung tissue. This can lead to lung cancer depending upon the level of radon being breathed and the length of time exposed to his high level.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency estimates that one in 15 homes in the U.S. has an elevated level of radon. The EPA recommends mitigation if the tested level in the home is found to be 4 pCi/l or greater (4 picocuries per liter).

The EPA estimates there are between 7,000 and 30,000 deaths per year in the U.S. from radon exposure. At a level of 4 pCi/l, about two people out of 1,000 could develop lung cancer from radon, if they never smoked. For smokers, that tested level could result in 29 people out of 1,000 getting lung cancer. For a level of 10 pCi/1, the numbers above are doubled. <snip>

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