Radon Facts and Solutions
Large building with multiple suction points and Radon fans.
What is Radon, where does it come from?
Radon is a naturally occurring, invisible, odorless gas that comes from deposits of uranium in soil, rock, and water. It is harmlessly dispersed in outdoor air, but can threaten human health when it accumulates in buildings. Radon is a radioactive decay product of radium, which in turn is a decay product of uranium. Uranium and radium are naturally occurring common elements in soil.
How Radon Gets into a Home
Radon gas enters the same way air and other soil gases enter the home; through cracks in the foundation floor or walls, hollow-block walls, and openings around floor drains, pipes and sump pumps. The process begins when warm air in the home rises. When this happens in your home, it creates a vacuum in the lower areas of the house. Nature hates a vacuum, so something must rush in to fill it. In the case of your home, air seeps in from the soil around and under the house, and some air is sucked in through openings (cracks, doors, windows) on the lower levels.
What Are the Health Risks of Radon?
Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that radon causes 15,000 to 22,000 lung cancer deaths in the country each year. Radon can be inhaled into the lungs, where it undergoes radioactive decay. As it decays, radon releases tiny bursts of energy called alpha particles, which can harm sensitive lung tissue by damaging the DNA. This damaged DNA can lead to lung cancer.
I don’t live in an area designated as a high radon zone, so my home won’t have a problem.
The EPA and the U.S. Geologic Survey conducted surveys of radon potential across the United States. They broke the country down into three zones according to their potential for high indoor radon levels, with Zone 1 having the highest radon potential. It is true that homes in Zones 1 and 2 have a statistically higher chance of having elevated levels of radon. However, the fact is that elevated levels of radon have been found in homes in all fifty states. The radon level in your home depends on the geology under and near your home. The only way to know for sure, and to protect your family from radon, is to test your home.
Click here for a interactive Radon Potential Map of California: http://maps.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/radon/
There doesn’t seem to be much proof that radon is a serious health problem.”
Never before have we had such overwhelming scientific consensus that exposure to elevated levels of radon causes lung cancer in humans. In February of 1998, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) presented the findings of their Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR) VI Report: "The Health Effects of Exposure to Indoor Radon." This report by the NAS is the most definitive accumulation of scientific data on indoor radon. The report confirms that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. and that it is a serious public health problem. The study fully supports EPA estimates stating that radon causes between 15,000 and 22,000 lung cancer deaths per year.
More information can be found from the links below
California Department of Public Health - Indoor Radon Program: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/environhealth/Pages/Radon.aspx U.S. EPA Radon main page: https://www.epa.gov/radon
A Citizens guide to Radon (pdf): https://www.epa.gov/radon/citizens-guide-radon-guide-protecting-yourself-and-your-family-radon
Protect Your Family:
Call or email today to schedule a test or request a quote to provide mitigation services.
Office *808-669-1626
Cell *805-280-6616
sb.radonman@gmail.com
An exterior Radon fan mounted in an enclosure. This system has multiple suction points through the side wall of the foundation.
RRNC Soil gas collection mat in new construction.
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Vapor Barrier placed over soil gas collection pipe with 4 inches of gravel bed. (Components of a RRNC system, prior to the placement of the concrete slab.)
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