In the metric system, radon concentration is expressed in Becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m3). The average global outdoor radon level varies between 5-15 Bq/m3, equal to 0.135-0.405 pCi/L. Safe radon levels. Its 5-year survival rate is only 10–14 percent and thus, it costs only several billion dollars per year. For more information about radon in drinking water please call the state radon office or the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791. A half of American homes have a radon level above 0.67 pCi/L (the median level). Some tends to accumulate in fatty issues. There is No Safe Radon Level. One Becquerel equals one radioactive disintegration per second. In an average basement, 38 million atoms will undergo radioactive decay each hour. 1-800-644-6999*– Radon Fix-It Hotline for general information on fixing or reducing the radon level in your home. Their annual exposure is limited to less than 4 WLM (Working Level Months), equivalent to 33 pCi/L during their working hours. Purchase a Radon Test Kit Find a Radon Professional Nearby Find a RadonAway Authorized Radon Pro Now! Radon can also enter the home through well water but usually carries little risk in Kentucky. However, two thirds of the total effective radiation dose to the average American from all natural sources comes from radon and its progeny. 489 Bridgeport Ave Suite 101336 Shelton,CT 06484 1-800-472-0603, RadonSeal®, LastiSeal®, and CrackWeld® are registered trademarks. (Radon causes 26% of lung cancer deaths among non-smokers.). People spend most of their time at home - on average 70%, but more in case of women and particularly, children. Radon is the "silent killer." Unfortunately, that's not possible. This process may lead to development of a national primary drinking water regulation (NPDWR) in the future. The average (mean) radon level in US homes is 1.25 pCi/L, or three times higher than the average level outdoors. If the cost of radon mitigation was only $600, the action limit recommended to homeowners would have been set at 2 pCi/L. It is expressed in picoCuries per liter of air, or "pCi/L". The Radon Act 51 passed by the US Congress set the natural outdoor level which averages 0.4 pCi/L as the target radon level for homes which unfortunately most homes (two thirds) exceed. Sunshine is a radiation. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) limits cumulative radon exposure in the workplace to 30 pCi/L based on 40 working hours per week. This 5-year study proves that radon even at the low levels found in homes causes lung cancer and that the risk is proportional to the radon level. Is Your Home SAFE? Though radon levels in water aren’t usually high enough to significantly impact the levels of radon in the air, you can take steps to reduce the radon in your water, if necessary. It encourages the EPA to consider lowering its current "action level" (the level at which remedial action is recommended) of 4 pCi/L for radon exposure, given that new radon risk data have emerged since the existing action level was set. Spending money, for example, on an anti-smoking campaign saves more lives, even though it is unfair to non-smokers and children who may be exposed to radon gas. You should always try to reduce radon to a practical minimum - if you just settle for 4 pCi/L, your home will be more radioactive than 94% of US homes: The concentration of radon gas is not measured directly but rather by the radioactivity it produces. It has enough power to knock out electrons from atoms and convert them to electrically charged ions, which can damage the large molecules of living cells. Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem. Test your home today. Read the National Radon Action Plan: A Strategy for Saving Lives. But at the same time, EPA has made it clear that the 4 pCi/L action limit is not a "safe" level and warned the public: Any radon exposure has some risk of causing lung cancer. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) includes a process that EPA must follow to identify and list unregulated contaminants. The average (mean) radon level in US homes is 1.25 pCi/L, or three times higher than the average level outdoors. Cosmic radiation consists of a variety of very energetic particles, including protons, muons, and neutrinos, which bombard the earth from outer space. Although radon in homes has been declared a national health problem, there are no federal or state standards. But radon decay products, radioactive solid particles, much smaller than household dust, float in the air and get trapped in our lungs, trachea, and bronchi. And, the societal cost of lung cancer deaths caused by radon is relatively low because it kills so quickly, often within months. The visible light is in the middle of its range of wavelengths. The high "action limit" reduces the number of lives saved. Radon can have a big impact on indoor air quality. Here are a few pages to read that may help – How to remove radon gas from basements and crawl spaces. If there are five people in your family, the chances that someone becomes a victim of radon over 10 percent. Testing is the only way to know your level of exposure. As the US EPA explains, there is no safe level of radon, a radioactive gas which causes lung cancer, the No. and cosmic radiation (photons, muons, etc.) One Becquerel means one radioactive disintegration per second, and 4 pCi/L equals to 148 Bq/m3. "Action limit" does not imply safety. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer.You can’t see or smell radon. Find Radon Zone and Radon Information Near You. Read More A Curie is a unit of radioactivity equivalent to 1 gram of radium and the prefix "pico" means a trillionth. There are several types of ionizing radiation: Radon decay chain offers a full menu of ionizing radiation: alpha and beta particles, and gamma rays. The Environment Protection Agency was given the task of developing practical guidelines. Operated under a … The best thing to do is run your water through a granular activated carbon unit to remove the radon. At 4 pCi/L each liter of air contains 70,000 radon atoms. Radon mitigation equipment such as passive radon stacks are becoming mandatory in many regional building codes, and the can be installed afterwards in some situations, but it really depends on your specific level of finishing. The Miners Safety and Health Act (MSHA) covers underground miners. The most substantial epidemiological study ever on the link between residential radon and lung cancer was published the University of Iowa in 2000. The long-wave radiation is infrared and it warms the skin. Considering the high cost of mitigation methods available to homeowners in 1980s (averaging $1,200 but up to $2,500), EPA issued its recommendations: EPA did not want to force homeowners to install costly radon mitigation systems, leaving the decision up to each homeowner. Remove radon from the water using granular activated carbon. The "action" limit is based on the average cost of a radon mitigation system in 1980s – $1,200. Assuming the highest radon level in modern mines, the average person receives in his home at 4 pCi/L over 12 years the same radiation dose as if he/she worked for 5 years in a uranium mine. deaths caused radon in the US each year. Save a life. The higher the level and the longer the period of exposure, the greater the risk will be. The preferred radon level measurement unit is Becquerels per cubic meter, Bq/m3. It is merely the result of a macroeconomic cost/benefit analysis for the US population at large. Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. How radon sneaks into homes. Find a Radon Professional WHAT IS A SAFE RADON LEVEL? But less than 1% of the inhaled atoms get trapped and we thus accumulate in our airways about 600,000 radioactive particles every hour. Background radiation levels are a combination of terrestrial (radium, thorium, radon, etc.) The shortest wavelength is ultraviolet radiation which causes skin cancer. Promoting Radon Awareness. Radon in homes is more concentrated and far more dangerous than outdoors - the National Academy of Sciences estimates that the outdoor radon causes only 800 out of the total of 21,000 lung cancer The societal cost of mitigating all homes to a 4 pCi/L level was estimated at $44 billion but that would rise to $101 billion if the action level was set at 2 pCi/L. But homes draw concentrated radon gas from the ground. EPA has drinking water regulations for more than 90 contaminants. Radon Gas Is All Around Us. 1 cancer killer. Learn more about the results of the Federal Radon Action Plan and launching the expanded National Radon Action Plan. The lower the radon level in your home, the lower your family's risk of lung cancer. Short-term radon measurements are often more than a factor of 2 different from the real long-term average, and sometimes more than a factor of 4 different. For more info visit short-term vs. long-term radon test kits. Although the 4 pCi/L level has become a benchmark for real estate transactions, it still carries considerable risks - equivalent to getting a chest x-ray or smoking 10 cigarettes each day. Ionizing radiation damages DNA and just one mutant cell can cause cancer. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR. The Chernobyl disaster was caused by a nuclear accident that occurred on Saturday 26 April 1986, at the No. Then, almost all is harmlessly exhaled by our lungs or skin until equilibrium is established between the ambient and internal radon concentrations. Be informed of the dangers of radon & rely on a radon professional. It is soluble in blood and circulates through the body and all organs. Radon produces tiny radioactive particles in the air we breathe. The Kentucky Radon Program encourages continuous education on radon gas. United States Environmental Protection Agency, Radon Zone and Radon Information Near You, National Radon Action Plan: A Strategy for Saving Lives, Find Local Radon Zones and State Contact Information, Find a Radon Test Kit or Measurement and Mitigation Professional, Radon Media Resources for Partners and Stakeholders, Consumer's Guide to Radon Reduction: How to Fix your Home, Radon-Resistant Construction Basics and Techniques, Proposed Criteria for Radon Credentialing Organizations. It is difficult for people to accept that their home, a place that one looks to for security, is hiding invisible danger. Beyond the ultraviolet radiation is a higher-frequency radiation emitted from nuclei of unstable radioactive atoms - ionizing radiation. The study shows that the exposure of adult women to radon over 15 years at the EPA "action" level of 4 pCi/L increases the lung cancer risk by 50 percent. 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