Radon is estimated
to cause thousands of lung cancer deaths in the
U.S.
each
year. |
|
* Radon is
estimated to cause about 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year,
according to EPA's
2003 Assessment of Risks from Radon in Homes (EPA
402-R-03-003). The numbers of deaths from
other causes are taken from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention's 1999-2001 National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control Report and 2002 National Safety Council
Reports. |
Why is radon the public health risk that
it is?
The EPA estimates that about 21,000 lung
cancer deaths each year are radon exposure related. After
smoking, exposure to radon is the
second leading cause of lung cancer. Radon is an
odorless, tasteless and invisible gas produced by the decay of
naturally occurring uranium in soil and water. Radon is a form
of ionizing radiation and a proven carcinogen. Recent
scientific research has also established a potential link between
radon gas exposure and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease ( http://www.radonnews.org/pages/AlzeheimersParkinsons.html ).
Radon is found in outdoor air and in the
indoor air of buildings of all kinds. The EPA recommends that
all homes be
retrofitted with a radon removal system if the radon concentration is 4.0 pCi/L (pico Curies per Liter) or
greater.
Because there is no known safe level of exposure to radon, the EPA also
recommends that Americans seriously consider repairing their home for radon
levels between 2.0 pCi/L and 4.0 pCi/L.
Typically, installing a sub-slab
depressurization system will reduce radon concentrations to a
acceptable level and consist of installing a vacuum pump, which
draws the radon containing gas from beneath the structures
foundation before it has a chance to enter the structure.
Unfortunately, many Americans presume
that because the EPA's action level is currently established at 4.0 pCi/L, a radon level of less than
4.0 pCi/L is safe. This perception is altogether too common in the
residential real estate market. For most Americans, their greatest
exposure to radon is in their homes; especially in rooms that are
below grade (e.g., basements), rooms that are in contact with the
ground and those rooms immediately above them.
The only way to know if your home
has elevated radon gas concentrations is to perform a radon gas test the
structure.
How Does Radon Get Into Your Home?
Radon is a radioactive gas and is found
in nearly all soil types. Radon gas typically moves up through the
seismic cracks in the earths surface. If your home is located on one
of these cracks, your home has a high possibility of excessive radon
concentrations. Your home traps radon inside, where it can build
up. Any home may have a radon problem. This means new and old homes,
well-sealed and drafty homes, and homes with or without
basements.
HOW RADON GETS IN:
- Cavities inside
walls
- Cracks in solid
floors
- Construction
joints
- Cracks in wall
joints
- The water
supply
- Gaps in suspended
floors
- Gaps around service
pipes
|
|
Radon
can be found all over the
U.S.
but
portions of
Kansas
and
Missouri
are
both identified, by the EPA, as being in Zone #1, the highest radon
potential in the nation. The national average for elevated radon
concentrations is 1 out of every 15 homes, however, elevated radon gas concentrations for our
geographic area
is 1 out of every 3 homes.
The only way to know if your home has
elevated radon gas concentrations is to test.
Radon Gas Exposure
Risk
Radon
Risk If You Smoke
Radon Level
|
If 1,000 people who
smoked were exposed to this level over a
lifetime*...
|
The risk of cancer from
radon exposure compares to**...
|
WHAT TO DO:
Stop
smoking and...
|
20
pCi/L
|
About
260 people could get lung cancer
|
250
times the risk of drowning
|
Fix your
home
|
10
pCi/L
|
About
150 people could get lung cancer
|
200
times the risk of dying in a home fire
|
Fix your
home
|
8
pCi/L
|
About
120 people could get lung cancer
|
30 times
the risk of dying in a fall
|
Fix your
home
|
4
pCi/L
|
About 62
people could get lung cancer
|
5 times
the risk of dying in a car crash
|
Fix your
home
|
2
pCi/L
|
About 32
people could get lung cancer
|
6 times
the risk of dying from poison
|
Consider
fixing between 2 and 4 pCi/L
|
1.3
pCi/L
|
About 20
people could get lung cancer
|
(Average
indoor radon level)
|
(Reducing
radon
levels below 2 pCi/L is difficult.)
|
0.4
pCi/L |
About 3
people could get
lung cancer |
(Average outdoor radon
level) |
Note:
If you are a former smoker, your risk may be lower.
*
Lifetime risk of lung cancer deaths from EPA Assessment of
Risks from Radon in Homes (EPA 402-R-03-003).
** Comparison
data calculated using the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention's 1999-2001 National Center for Injury Prevention
and Control Reports. |
Radon
Risk If You've Never Smoked
Radon Level
|
If 1,000 people who never
smoked were exposed to this level over a
lifetime*...
|
The risk of cancer from
radon exposure compares to**...
|
WHAT TO DO:
|
20
pCi/L
|
About 36
people could get lung cancer
|
35 times
the risk of drowning
|
Fix your
home
|
10
pCi/L
|
About 18
people could get lung cancer
|
20 times
the risk of dying in a home fire
|
Fix your
home
|
8
pCi/L
|
About 15
people could get lung cancer
|
4 times
the risk of dying in a fall
|
Fix your
home
|
4
pCi/L
|
About 7
people could get lung cancer
|
The risk
of dying in a car crash
|
Fix your
home
|
2
pCi/L
|
About 4
person could get lung cancer
|
The risk
of dying from poison
|
Consider
fixing between 2 and 4 pCi/L
|
1.3
pCi/L
|
About 2
people could get lung cancer
|
(Average
indoor radon level)
|
(Reducing radon levels
below
2 pCi/L is difficult.)
|
0.4
pCi/L
|
|
(Average
outdoor radon level)
|
Note:
If you are a former smoker, your risk may be higher.
*
Lifetime risk of lung cancer deaths from EPA Assessment of
Risks from Radon in Homes (EPA 402-R-03-003).
** Comparison
data calculated using the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention's 1999-2001 National Center for Injury Prevention
and Control Reports. |
Radon concentrations can be
fixed!
Radon reduction systems work and
they are not too costly. Some radon reduction systems can
reduce radon levels in your home by up to 99%. Even very high
levels can be reduced to acceptable levels.
Myths and Facts
about Radon
Myth:
|
Scientists are not sure that radon is really a
problem.
|
Fact: |
Scientists may dispute the number of deaths causes
by radon exposure but all the major health organizations do
agree that radon exposure causes thousands of preventable lung
cancer deaths each year.
|
Myth:
|
Only
certain types of homes are affected by radon entry.
|
Fact: |
Radon
can affect all types of homes. (slab-on-grade, basement, crawl
spaces, old and new). High radon levels can be found in every state. Each
home will have different radon levels. Radon moves upward
through cracks and fissures in the earths crust. If a
structure is sitting on one of these cracks or fissures, the
structure may have elevated radon concentrations of
radon.
|
Myth:
|
Short-term radon tests cannot be used for making a
decision about whether to reduce high radon levels.
|
Fact: |
Short-term tests are accurate and may be used for
making a decision about whether to reduce the structures high
radon levels. The closer the short-term testing result is to
4.0 pCi/L, the less certainty there is about the home's year
round average and a long term test may be recommended.
|
Myth:
|
Installing a radon mitigation system makes the home
difficult to sell.
|
Fact: |
Installing a radon mitigation system has not been
seen to cause problems with reselling a home. More and more
home buyers are knowledgeable of radon exposure health effects
and the presence of a radon mitigation system can be perceived
as positive and may, in fact, be a selling point for the
home.
|
Myth:
|
Radon
readings change day to day. Only long term tests are
accurate.
|
Fact: |
Long
term tests do measure your actual exposure over a longer
period of time and take into consideration seasonal changes,
weather conditions, and occupant living habits.
Short
term tests are very accurate for the conditions they are
measuring. Short term radon measurements taken in the lowest
living area are very typically reproducible month to month.
Measurements taken in a seasonal heating or cooling season are
often slightly higher than in those taken in spring or fall
due to greater pressures in the home.
|
Myth:
|
Rain
causes high readings.
|
Fact: |
Normal
rainfall has little impact on readings. Heavy rainfall
saturates the soil and causes low readings due to air in the
soil being sealed out of the home by water. People testing for
radon should avoid testing during periods of high lateral
winds or severe weather conditions.
|
Myth:
|
Sealing
the sump hole and floor cracks and wall to flooring unions
fixes the radon problem.
|
Fact: |
Sealing
alone is not recommended and the results are unpredictable. We
don’t believe it is a permanent fix to a radon problem. We
believe that sealing alone will eventually result in radon
finding find an alternate way to enter the structure. Sealing
alone may actually result in increased radon
concentrations.
The EPA
does not recommend the use of sealing alone to reduce radon
because sealing alone has not been shown to lower radon levels
significantly or consistently.
|
Radon Information
Links
EPA's Citizen's Guide to
Radon -------------- www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html
EPA's Home Buyer's and
Seller's Guide --- www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/hmbyguid.html
Cancer Survivors Against
Radon ------------- http://www.cansar.org/
EPA Maps for Radon Zones
------------------- www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/zonemap.html
R
adon News
Organization----------------------
http://www.radonnews.org/ |
