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. In 2009, the World Health Organization set a new recommended radon reference level of 2.7 pCi/L for residential structures. Their annual exposure is limited to less than 4 WLM (Working Level Months), equivalent to 33 pCi/L during their working hours. Read More Radon Gas Is All Around Us. There are several types of ionizing radiation: Radon decay chain offers a full menu of ionizing radiation: alpha and beta particles, and gamma rays. They are not a sound basis for radon mitigation decision. Background radiation levels are a combination of terrestrial (radium, thorium, radon, etc.) 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. Read the National Radon Action Plan: A Strategy for Saving Lives. The lower the radon level in your home, the lower your family's risk of lung cancer. Promoting Radon Awareness. Cosmic radiation consists of a variety of very energetic particles, including protons, muons, and neutrinos, which bombard the earth from outer space. Sunshine is a radiation. EPA Action Level Buying or Selling YOUR HOME? Natural radioactivity is common in the rocks and soil that make up our planet – over 60 radionuclides (radioactive elements) can be found in nature. (Radon causes 26% of lung cancer deaths among non-smokers.). The most substantial epidemiological study ever on the link between residential radon and lung cancer was published the University of Iowa in 2000. It is merely the result of a macroeconomic cost/benefit analysis for the US population at large. The President's Cancer Panel issued its "Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now" in 2010. Shockingly, the cancer risk from radon at the "action" limit is about 1,000-times higher than the safety limits allowed for suspected carcinogens and toxins in food or drinking water. 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". When relaxing at home, we breathe in radon. Here are a few pages to read that may help – How to remove radon gas from basements and crawl spaces. In the metric system, radon concentration is expressed in Becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m3). Most radon-attributed deaths (70%) are caused by radon levels lower than 4 pCi/L (BEIR VI, 1998). 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. A half of American homes have a radon level above 0.67 pCi/L (the median level). The average global outdoor radon level varies between 5-15 Bq/m3, equal to 0.135-0.405 pCi/L. One Becquerel equals one radioactive disintegration per second. Radon causes more deaths than fires, drownings, and airplane crashes combined. One Becquerel means one radioactive disintegration per second, and 4 pCi/L equals to 148 Bq/m3. 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. The higher the level and the longer the period of exposure, the greater the risk will be. 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. 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. Radon can also enter the home through well water but usually carries little risk in Kentucky. "Action limit" does not imply safety. An official website of the United States government. 1-800-644-6999*– Radon Fix-It Hotline for general information on fixing or reducing the radon level in your home. Then, almost all is harmlessly exhaled by our lungs or skin until equilibrium is established between the ambient and internal radon concentrations. In an average basement, 38 million atoms will undergo radioactive decay each hour. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) includes a process that EPA must follow to identify and list unregulated contaminants. Its 5-year survival rate is only 10–14 percent and thus, it costs only several billion dollars per year. Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Because radon is nine times heavier than air, elevated radon levels build up in basements and on lower floors. High levels of radon can cause lung cancer, particularly for smokers and ex-smokers. 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. Unlike radon levels in homes, occupational radon limits are governed by law and regulations. When they shoot out alpha particles, they damage the DNA of epithelial cells, causing mutations and lung cancer. Setting the limit at 4 pCi/L benefits (but does not necessarily save) only 30% of the 21,000 people that die each year of radon-attributed lung cancer, while a lower limit of 2 pCi/L would benefit 50%. How radon sneaks into homes Nearly 8 million US homes, or 1 out of every 15, have radon levels above the EPA's 4 pCi/L "action" limit and nearly 1 out of … For more information about radon in drinking water please call the state radon office or the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791. The average (mean) radon level in US homes is 1.25 pCi/L, or three times higher than the average level outdoors. Radiation from these particles damages our lung tissue, and over a long period may cause lung cancer. People spend most of their time at home - on average 70%, but more in case of women and particularly, children. However, two thirds of the total effective radiation dose to the average American from all natural sources comes from radon and its progeny. The average (mean) radon level in US homes is 1.25 pCi/L, or three times higher than the average level outdoors. Learn more about the results of the Federal Radon Action Plan and launching the expanded National Radon Action Plan. 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 visible light is in the middle of its range of wavelengths. The shortest wavelength is ultraviolet radiation which causes skin cancer. The Environment Protection Agency was given the task of developing practical guidelines. Outdoor radon levels in the U.S. range from 0.02 to 0.75 pCi/L (picoCuries per liter), averaging 0.4 pCi/L. Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and invisible gas produced by the decay of naturally occurring uranium in soil and water. Remove radon from the water using granular activated carbon. Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem. But less than 1% of the inhaled atoms get trapped and we thus accumulate in our airways about 600,000 radioactive particles every hour. 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. The risk to the average person of dying of radon-caused lung cancer due to a lifetime exposure to 4 pCi/L radon level at home is 2.3 percent. 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. 489 Bridgeport Ave Suite 101336 Shelton,CT 06484 1-800-472-0603, RadonSeal®, LastiSeal®, and CrackWeld® are registered trademarks. 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. It is difficult for people to accept that their home, a place that one looks to for security, is hiding invisible danger. Although radon in homes has been declared a national health problem, there are no federal or state standards. Yet, the average person receives a higher radiation dose from radon at home than from all other natural or man-made sources combined. Operated under a … Find Radon Zone and Radon Information Near You. The long-wave radiation is infrared and it warms the skin. For more info visit short-term vs. long-term radon test kits. How radon sneaks into homes. Be informed of the dangers of radon & rely on a radon professional. Fix. The best radon level measurement would be zero. It is soluble in blood and circulates through the body and all organs. Although the U.S. Congress has set the natural radon concentration outdoors as the target level for homes, approximately two thirds of homes exceed it. (Nuclear explosions emit one more radiation - neutrons.) This process may lead to development of a national primary drinking water regulation (NPDWR) in the future. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR. But homes draw concentrated radon gas from the ground. Copyright © 1998-2021 Novion Radon Mitigation & Concrete Waterproofing, a higher radiation dose from radon at home than from all other natural or man-made sources combined, 0.4 pCi/L as the target radon level for homes, the 4 pCi/L action limit is not a "safe" level, cancer risk from radon at the "action" limit is about 1,000-times higher, Most radon-attributed deaths (70%) are caused by radon levels lower than 4 pCi/L, the EPA "action" level of 4 pCi/L increases the lung cancer risk by 50 percent, Lung Cancer Prevention Starts with Radon Mitigation. The preferred radon level measurement unit is Becquerels per cubic meter, Bq/m3. 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. Radon can have a big impact on indoor air quality. 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. 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