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Radon in Air
Introduction
Short-term dual device measurements are ideally suited for time-sensitive situations such as real estate transactions. Side-by-side dual short-term tests provide the best combination of speed and accuracy upon which real estate transactions may be based.
What is Radon?
Radon is a radioactive gas that occurs in nature as a result of the radioactive decay of uranium. You cannot see it, smell it, or taste it. Radon can be found in high concentrations in soils and rocks containing uranium and in water from residential wells.
Outdoor radon is diluted to such low concentrations that it is usually nothing to worry about. However, once inside an enclosed space such as a house, radon can accumulate. Indoor levels depend both on the house’s construction and the concentrations of radon in the underlying soil and well water. The EPA recommends that corrective action should be undertaken in any living area having a radon concentration of 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or greater. Studies indicate that as many as one in five homes in the Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts tri-state area may have elevated radon levels.
How does radon affect people?
Radon breaks down naturally and forms radioactive decay products. When the air is inhaled, the radon decay products can become trapped in the lungs. As these decay products break down further, they release small bursts of energy that can damage lung tissue and lead to lung cancer.
Scientists estimate that radon exposure causes many thousands of lung cancer deaths in the United States each year. The risk of developing lung cancer from radon depends upon the concentration of radon and the length of exposure. The risk of lung cancer is especially high for smokers in homes that have elevated radon levels.
How does radon enter a home?
Radon is a gas that can move through small spaces in the soil and rock on which a house is built. Radon can seep into a home through dirt floors, cracks in concrete floors and walls, floor drains, sumps, joints, and tiny cracks or pores in hollow-block walls.
Radon might also be present in well water and can be released into a home when the water is used. Usually, radon is not a problem with large community water supplies, where it would likely be released into the outside air before the water reaches a home.
