Radon Health Risks:

When cells are damaged, they are repaired or destroyed. Damage of genetic material can result in varying forms of mutation due to the changes in information carried by DNA. Cell mutations have varying capabilities. They may not necessarily affect the cellular functions, may kill the cell or can allow the cell to reproduce without constraint and subsequently invade and damage areas reserved for other cells. It is the uncontrolled replication of mutated cells that increases the likelihood for further mutations.                

Part 4 Evidence of Radon?

Reasearch on the risk of radon exposure and human health is more extensive that many studies on other human carcinogens. Most radon research was derived from epidemiological studies on underground miners. As early as the Middle Ages, miners in parts of Germany and Czechoslovakia were diagnosed with lung-related illnesses. The intial identification of this lung illness as cancer was in 1879. It was not hypothesized that radon was a cause of the lung cancers in the miners until 1924. Radon as a cause of the lung cancers in miners was not universally recognized until futher epidemiological reports were issued in the 1050's and 1960's. During that time, it was also identified that it was alpha particales emitted from radon and its decay products that caused the lung cancer.

Radon Series 3 What is Radon

Radon can enter a home from the soil via cracks in floors and walls, floor drains, sump pumps and construction joints. Radon is usually more concentrated in basements and ground floor rooms that have contact with the soil. The design, construction details and building materials used can affect the pathways and sources that can draw radon into a home. Domestic water contaminated with radon can also contribute to indoor radon levels. Fortunately, water radon levels will contribute significantly less that soil radon levels to the indoor radon concentration.

Part 2
What is Radon?

It is estimated that thirty-seven percent of the radiation that people are exposed to comes from radon and radon decay products. The location of greatst exposure to radon is in the home.While uranium is the source of radon, factors that influence its concentration in indoor air will include radon in soil, building materials, and groundwater. Air pressure differences between soil and home as well as foundation openings cause radon gas to flow towards the foundation of a home. Indoor radon concentrations also depend on soil permeability and porosity,uranium and moisture content and home foundations.

What is Radon?

Part 1

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas released during the decay of torium and uranium, which are common elements found in variying amounts in rock, soil and water. Radon is also colorless, orderless and tasteless, making it undetectable to human senses. When radioactive elements such as radon start to decay, radiation is released. Products of radon decay like polonium-218 and polonium-214 emit alpha particles that are effective in damaging lung tissues. Research has established a causal relationship between alpha-emitters and lung cancer in humans..

Radon Mitigation Information: How serious is Radon?

Radon Mitigation Information: How serious is Radon?: Radon is a Class-A carcinogen recognized as the leading cause of lung cancer in the Unted States amoung nonsmokers.The National Academy of S...

How serious is Radon?

Radon is a Class-A carcinogen recognized as the leading cause of lung cancer in the Unted States amoung nonsmokers.The National Academy of Sciences (NSA) and the Surgeon Gerneral estimate that as many as 21,000 lung cancer deaths that occur in the U.S. annually may be a result of radon exposure. It is therefore essential that as part of its mission to promote lung health, the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest should be able to disseminate information pertaining to radon risks. Future blogs will contain information detailing the physical and biochemical processes associated with radon. Also included are procedures and methods for correcting elevated indoor radon levels. Ultimately, these efforts are crucial in reducing the number of lung cancer deaths.