Radon [ "Rn"]   Facts :

- A radioactive atom listed on the periodic table of elements.

- A carcinogen found in most homes, and at elevated levels in 1 out of 3 homes in the U.S.,and 85% of homes in Ohio, due to our regional soil types.

- It comes from the decay of Uranium in the soil.  A quantity of Radon is about 1,000,000 times more radioactive than an equal quantity of Uranium because of its short half-life.

- It is an invisible, odorless, tasteless gas considered by the US EPA  and other health organizations to be the number one cause of lung cancer among non smokers. Currrent studies are now  also linking exposure to elevated Radon levels to non-malignant lung diseases such as COPD, and brain diseases such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers.

- It increases by ten fold          [1000%] the likelihood of lung cancer in smokers.

-It kills about 70 times more people each year than accidental exposure to Carbon Monoxide.

- Officially recognized as a public health hazard in the 1980's .

- Mentioned in European mining records as early as the 1400's as " lung tumors caused by an invisible gas", and documented in US Gov memos from the 1960's medical history of miners.

- It is responsible for over 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year in the U.S.   That is more than from breast, colon, and pancreatic cancers combined.

 -Radon is the #1 home cancer problem. Lung cancer is the #1 cancer killer.

-Radon caused lung cancer deaths exceed the deaths caused by drunk driving, home fires,  firearms, and home falls combined.

- Outdoor radon levels are usually below .40 due to dilution from outdoor air.

-  If you spend eighteen hours a day in a room with a radon level of 10.0 pCi/l  you have the same statistical chance [15%] of getting lung  cancer as someone who is smoking a pack of cigarettes per day. 

- We have measured levels in central Ohio as high as 116 pCi/l.  After our mitigation system was installed it measured 0.8 pCi/l.

- Each home should be tested.

- Having your home tested is the only way to know what the radon level is in your home.  It may or may not be similar to a neighbor's level. If your level is 4.0 pCi/l or higher a mitigation system is recommended.

- A free test kit is available from the Ohio Department of Health.  Call 800-523-4439.

HOW DOES IT ENTER OUR HOMES?

Radon is contained in most soils and enters homes through cracks in the basement, and even directly through building materials like concrete.

THE STACK EFFECT :

As warm air rises through the roof a vacuum effect is created in all lower areas of our homes. Soil gases including radon are thus drawn into the home. Since radon is much heavier than air it tends to become concentrated in the lower levels. If your furnace has an open slot for the  furnace air filter, then basement air and radon is drawn into the furnace and circulated to all parts of the house.

 Modern "tighter" construction practices also tend to trap radon's alpha particle radiation and the dust which carries it.

This creates [in central Ohio] concentrations which can be risk- equivalent  to smoking two packs or more of cigarettes a day. 

 MORE RADON FACTS :      

- It is the heaviest natural gas and is 8 x heavier than air

- half-life of 3.8 days

- produced as a decay product of Uranium.

- produces radioactive daughter elements which also decay and emit dangerous particles.

- It ultimately stabilizes into the lighter element, Lead [Pb]. This can remain in lipid tissue [brain tissue for instance] as a 'heavy metal toxin' forever [see the study by the University of North Dakota linking this poisoning to Parkinson's disease and Alzheimers.

HOW IT HURTS US:                    

As Radon enters the home, about half becomes attached to dust particles. 

These are inhaled by us, and remain trapped in the extremely delicate tissue of our lungs during subsequent decay cycles. 

The Alpha particles which are emitted act like little shotguns in our lungs and damage cell structures and  DNA strands.

As the body tries to heal the damage, destructive tumors are formed.  Permanent lead poisoning also results from the ultimate decay product [see above].

 Understanding

the Radon Problem

- VIDEOS:

www.doctoroz.com/videos/cancer-risk-home-pt-1 (and) -pt-2

 www.RAdata.com

- ONLINE:

www.epa.gov/radon

www.nchh.org

www.wikipedia/radon

www.aarst .org 

 The Solution:

- More than 80,000 systems have been installed and monitored world wide in the past few decades.

- Follow up studies have shown them to be effective in reducing levels to below 2.0 pCi/L. 

- They consist of several  components which  ventilate the soil below and  adjacent to the home. 

see www.epa.gov/radon/rms for the details of mitigation systems as required by the EPA and the ODH.

RADON RELIEF!

LICENSED RADON MEASUREMENT AND MITIGATION SYSTEMS

614-578-8293

KNOW YOUR NUMBER!