Radon - What is It and What are the Potential Health Effects

As per the US EPA - Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, following smoking. Radon is odorless, colorless, and tasteless. It is a naturally occurring radioactive gas resulting from the decay of radium, itself a decay product of uranium. Radon in turn breaks down into radon decay products, short-lived radionuclides. These decay products, either free or attached to airborne particles, are inhaled, and further decay can take place in the lungs before removal by clearance mechanisms.

It is the emission of high-energy alpha particles during the radon decay process that increases the risk of lung cancer. While the risk to underground miners has long been known, the potential danger of residential radon pollution has been widely recognized only since the late 1970s, with the documentation of high indoor levels.

When radon decay products are inhaled and deposited in the lungs, the alpha emissions penetrate the cells of the epithelium lining the lung. Energy deposited in these cells during irradiation is believed to initiate the process of carcinogenesis. The EPA, the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and others estimate that thousands of lung cancer deaths per year are attributable to radon, based on data from epidemiologic studies of thousands of underground miners and from animal studies. Lung cancer is presently the only commonly accepted disease risk associated with radon.

Tobacco smoke in combination with radon exposure has a synergistic effect. Smokers and former smokers are believed to be at especially high risk. Scientists estimate that the increased risk of lung cancer to smokers from radon exposure is ten to twenty times higher than to people who have never smoked.

The EPA estimates that as many as six million homes throughout the country have elevated levels of radon. Since 1988, EPA and the Office of the Surgeon General have recommended that homes below the third floor be tested for radon.

Short term testing is the quickest way to determine if a potential problem exists, taking from two to ninety days to complete. Low-cost radon test kits are available by mail order, in hardware stores, and through other retail outlets62.

EPA recommends that consumers use measurement devices that are state-certified or have met the requirements of a proficiency program. For further information on EPA's former National Radon Proficiency Program (RPP) (EPA closed its National Radon Proficiency Program in 1998) visit our Radon web site www.epa.gov/radon/radontest.html EPA also recommends that consumers use trained contractors who provide testing services. The most commonly used devices are charcoal canisters, electret ion detectors, alpha track detectors, and continuous monitors placed by contractors. Short term testing should be conducted in the lowest lived in area of the home, with the doors and windows shut. Long term testing can take up to a full year but is more likely to reflect the home's year round average radon level than short term testing. Alpha track detectors and electret ion detectors are the most common long-term testing devices.

Corrective steps include sealing foundation cracks and holes, and venting radon-laden air from beneath the foundation. Professional expertise should be sought for effective execution of these measures.