Radiation protection against Radon

Unknowingly all of us are exposed to natural background radiation and we always seem to hear about just another thing that causes cancer, so we tend to fade it out and go along with our lives hoping that it won't happen to us. 

 

Unfortunately some of us are more exposed than others, depending on which  part of the country you are from.  According to the (NCRP) National council on Radiation Protection since 1987 the U.S. has been exposed to about the same amount of natural background radiation.  Terrestrial radiation from radioactive materials in the crust of the earth accounts for more than 80% of all natural background radiation and a staggering 55% of that is all Radon gas. 

 

 

 

 

 

Radon is a colorless, odorless, heavy radioactive gas that along with its decay products polonium 218&214 (solid form) is always present to some degree in the air.  Because it is a gas, Radon can percolate up through the soil, it invades our homes by way of crawlspaces, basements, open drain holes, sump pumps and through porous cement block foundations. In many cases the weight of our homes against the soil especially in basements creates a pressure gradient that draws on the ground literally assisting in compounding the incoming gases.

 



 

 



Commonly used building materials such as sheet rock, bricks, granite and concrete contain radon gas.  Concentrations of radon in a particular structure vary across days and seasons; In cooler months when homes and buildings are tightly closed, radon levels are usually higher, this is the best time to test for radon.  A prime source for getting information on how to do it yourself or have a professional come to your home and estimate or minimize the amount of radon that will effect your family, is by calling 1-800-NO-RADON.                                                   

 

After this gas has been inhaled it creates daughter radioactive isotopes that stay in the tissue of the lungs, as they decay they give off radiation that injures lung tissue creating lung cancer.  Smokers have an even greater risk of cancer due to the fact that they have already been exposed to higher levels of radioactivity in the tobacco smoke over a long period of time initially.  The (EPA) Environmental Protection Agency considers radon to be the second leading cause of cancers in the U.S. it is responsible for 20,000 deaths per year.  It also estimated that 10% of homes contain more than the minimum level of 4 (pCi/L) or 4 picocuries per liter of air.  Hence, accurate radon testing and appropriate structural repair, if required, are essential to reducing the risk of lung cancer from radon exposure in your own home....The last thing you want is this following radio graphic image showing up of you or a loved one!

 

 

 

Some of the information on this blog comes from the follwing;

Sherer, M. A., Visconti, P. J., Riteour, E. R. (2011) Radiation Protection in Medical Radiography. Maryland Heights: Mosby Elsevier.

Online images: saintlouisradon.com, morrowcountyhealth.org, envirohome.com, radonsystem.com, radonmitigation.us, and medioimages.com