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What is Radon?

Radon In Your Home Jessica Wanserski RS, MS Environmental Sanitarian Manitowoc County Health Department. What is Radon?. A naturally occurring radioactive gas. Colorless, odorless and tasteless. Found all over the U.S. in all types of buildings, old and new.

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What is Radon?

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  1. Radon In Your HomeJessica Wanserski RS, MSEnvironmental SanitarianManitowoc County Health Department

  2. What is Radon? • A naturally occurring radioactive gas. • Colorless, odorless and tasteless. • Found all over the U.S. in all types of buildings, old and new. • Any type of home can have a radon problem. This means new and old homes, well-sealed and drafty homes and homes with or without basements.

  3. Where Does Radon Come From? • Occurs naturally by the decay of uranium in rock and soil. • Uranium is widely found in trace amounts in soil and rocks. It is found throughout the US. • Radon in soil and rocks under and adjacent to buildings, migrates through foundations, cracks and small openings and concentrates inside buildings.

  4. The Element Radon Element: is a substance consisting of only one type of atom.

  5. Why Should You Care About Radon? Radon is 2nd leading cause of lung cancer in the US. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.

  6. EPA Map of Radon Zones Legend Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 Guam - Preliminary Zone designation Zone 1 - Predicted average indoor screening level > than 4 picoCuries per liter of air (pCi/L) Zone 2 - Predicted average indoor screening level between 2 and 4 pCi/L Zone 3 - Predicted average indoor screening level less than 2 pCi/L

  7. Exposure To Radiation

  8. Uranium Decay Chart Radon Radium Uranium

  9. How Radon Gets into a Home:

  10. What factors can influence radon levels in a home? • The strength of the source; how much uranium/radium is in the soil. • Porosity of the soil. • House construction including foundation type: Basement, Crawlspace, Slab-on-grade. • Weather conditions: Wind, temperature, barometric pressure. • Occupant activity. • Levels are higher during winter heating season due to stack effect.

  11. What Are the Health Risks of Radon? • Breathing air with elevated radon levels over long periods of time is known to increase your risk of lung cancer. • Radon is a class “A” carcinogen. • EPA estimates 21,000 lung cancer deaths are caused by radon each year. • 12% of all lung cancers. • Radon does not cause any short term health effects such as coughing, headaches or shortness of breath.

  12. How will Radon Effect You? Your chances of getting lung cancer from radon depend mostly on the following factors: • How much radon is in your home • The amount of time you spend in your home • Whether you are a smoker or former smoker. Smokers are at approximately a 15 times greater chance of contracting lung cancer than nonsmokers.

  13. Annual Deaths from Selected Causes Deaths per Year 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 AirlineCrashes Drunk Driving Fires Drownings RADON* * Radon is estimated to cause between 15,000 and 22,000 deaths per year, according to the National Academy of Sciences 1998 data. The number of deaths from other causes are actuarial data taken from 2000 National Safety Council reports.

  14. How Radon Causes Lung Cancer Inhalation of Radon Decay Products Alpha Particle Radiation Damage to DNA As radon decays, it emits radioactive alpha particles which can deliver large jolts of energy to the cells lining the lungs. These bursts of energy can damage the cells' DNA which may ultimately lead to cancer.

  15. Po-218 Rn-222 Ra-226 alpha Pb-214 3 min alpha 3.8 d 27 min 1600 y beta Bi-214 Th 20 min beta Pb-210 alpha Po-214 U-238 0.0002 s 4.5 E9 y 21 y IN THE GROUND IN THE AIR PARENTS AND PROGENY OF RADON-222 Half Life

  16. The Atom- Basic Structure Atom :A particle of matter indivisible by chemical means. It is the fundamental building block of molecules. Atom is comprised of: • Nucleus • Protons (+) • Neutrons (neutral) • Electrons (-) Electrons Nucleus (contains protons and neutrons)

  17. Basic Nuclear Physics • Radioactive: capable of giving off radiant energy in the form of particles or rays. • Three basic types of radiation. • Discovered in 1899 by Ernest Rutherford while studying uranium. • Alpha particle • Beta particle • Gamma ray

  18. Alpha Particle • 2 Protons + 2 Neutrons • +2 charge • Mass = 4 • Identical to Helium atom without the electrons • Relatively slow and heavy • Low penetrating power – can be stopped by a sheet of paper • Large charge so they can ionize other atoms strongly. • Main radiation hazard is when inhaled or ingested – great destructive power at a short range.

  19. Beta Particle • High speed particle identical to an electron emitted from the nucleus • Charge of -1 • Fast and light • Medium penetrating power – stopped by glass or aluminum • Do not ionize as strongly as alpha particles • Greatest health hazard is from ingestion

  20. Gamma Ray • Gamma rays are waves, not particles emitted from nucleus • Similar to an x-ray, but higher energy (x-rays are created by a machine) • No mass • No charge • High penetrating power • Must use lead or thick concrete to stop gamma rays

  21. Types of Radiation

  22. Testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk Residential Construction Team

  23. TESTING IS EASY AND INEXPENSIVE

  24. How to Test For Radon • EPA recommends doing a short term test initially. • Best time to test is during winter heating season due to stack effect . • A short term test kit is usually used for 2-90 days depending on the device. • Long-term test kits are used for 90 days to 1 year and do a better job averaging radon levels. • Test kits can be obtained from local health departments or from hardware stores.

  25. Radon Test Kits

  26. Where to Place Test Kit • Test in the lowest occupied level of the home (spend more than 7 hours per week) • Do not test in areas of high humidity, such as bathrooms, laundry rooms, or kitchens • Maintain closed house conditions for 12 hours prior to test and through out test when using a short term test kit. • Test in a frequently used room such as a bedroom or living room. • Avoid drafts from windows, doors, vents or fans.

  27. How Is Radon Measured? • Radon is measured in picoCuries per liter of air (pCi/L). While no level of radon exposure is considered safe, EPA has set an action level at 4 pCi/L. • If radon test in a home shows levels at or above 4 pCi/L, the home should be fixed.

  28. What Should I Do If My House Has Elevated Radon Levels? • Contact your state radon program, 888 LOW RADON or www.lowradon.org. • EPA’s booklet, A Citizens Guide to Radon, can help you interpret your results and determine next steps. • Visit EPA’s website at www.epa.gov/radon. • If the levels in your home are high, take steps to reduce the levels in your home.

  29. How Can I Fix My House If It Has Elevated Levels? • Mitigate Your Home for Radon. A Contractor can: • Install a system to reduce radon levels. • Prevent it from ever entering the living space. • Contact 888 LOW RADON or www.lowradon.org for a list of qualified radon mitigators. • EPA’s booklet A Consumers Guide to Radon will be helpful in understanding radon mitigation in your home.

  30. Can’t I Just Seal Cracks in the Floor or Open Windows? • Sealing visible cracks is a basic part of most radon mitigation approaches, but sealing alone is NOT enough. • Opening doors and windows to dilute the radon may sometimes be effective, but it is NOT a practical long-term solution.

  31. Radon Mitigation in a Home • Most commonly installed system is called “sub-slab depressurization”. • System is simple, effective and energy-efficient. • Uses plumbing-type PVC pipe and a small fan to remove radon. • In most cases levels can be reduced below 2 pCi/L. • List of mitigators in WI available at www.lowradon.org or 888 LOW-RADON.

  32. RADON CONTROL FOR EXISTING HOUSES: SUB-SLAB DEPRESSURIZATION FAN SEAL CRACKS AND OPENINGS TO SOIL DEPRESSURIZED ZONE

  33. SUB-SLAB DEPRESSURIZATION

  34. Protect Your Family: TEST FOR RADON TODAY

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