Radon occurs naturally in the environment. In the atmosphere, radon disperses and doesn't present much of a danger. But confined in your home, radon presents real hazards. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that one in 15 homes in the United States have dangerously high levels of radon.
Definition
Radon is an odorless, colorless radioactive gas. Radon results from the breakdown of uranium in rock, water and soil. Physicists at Idaho State University who have studied radon discovered that much of the radiation danger associated with radon comes not from the radon itself, but from radioactive "daughters" that develop as the radon decays.
Sources
Radon comes from uranium found in rocks and soil. Some parts of the country contain more radon that others. As uranium decays, radon is released into the air. If uranium is in the soil or rock beneath your home, radon can seep up through the foundation. If radon gets into the water in a well, you'll breathe radon when you take a shower as it builds up in the steam. If you're not sure if radon is a problem in your area, contact your state's radon office for more information.
Dangers
The United States Office of the Surgeon General issued a health advisory about the dangers of radon in 2005. Surgeon General Richard Carmona called radon the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Anyone living in a home with high radon levels is at risk, though if you smoke, you increase your risk of contracting cancer even more.
Measurement
You can purchase testing kits to check the radon level in your home, or you can hire a professional to test your levels. Either way, the test consists of a canister you set in your home and leave for a specified period of time--usually two to three days. You shouldn't run air conditioning or fans or open windows while the test is being conducted. Send the canister to the testing facility, and it will measure the radon levels. Radon is measured in picocuries per liter of air. The Environmental Protection Agency has established a level of 4 picocuries per liter of air as requiring mitigation efforts to render the home safe.
Mitigation
You can't get rid of radon, but you can disperse it from your home so that it poses little or no danger. Radon mitigation may involves a combination of fans, ventilation and air pressure. You should hire a professional radon mitigation company to handle the problem. In addition to mitigation, you'll need to continue to monitor the radon levels in your home to make sure the mitigation efforts are working.
