Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless radioactive gas that's formed during the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water. Radon exits the ground and can seep into your home through cracks and holes in the foundation. Radon gas can also contaminate well water.
Radon gas naturally occurs as the result of uranium decaying deep in the earth's crust. Radon exists all around us, but only in high concentrations is it considered dangerous. The gas Rn 222 is odorless, invisible, chemically inactive, and radioactive. Its daughter products, such as Polonium 218, are also radioactive. According to the EPA, prolonged exposure to all these decaying particles can be a health hazard, especially when long-term readings exceed 4 pCi/lt (pico Curies per liter of air).
How does it get into my home?
Houses act like large chimneys. As the air in the house warms, it rises to leak out the attic openings and around the upper floor windows. This creates a small suction at the lowest level of the house, pulling the radon out of the soil and into the house. You can test this on a cold day by opening a top floor window an inch. You will notice warm air from the house rushing out that opening; yet, if you open a basement window an inch, you will feel the cold outside air rushing in. This suction is what pulls the radon out of the soil and into the house. You might think caulking the cracks and the openings in the basement floor will stop the radon from entering the house. However, scientific studies show, it only takes enough unsealed cracks or pin holes in the caulking to equal a hole 1/2" in diameter to let all the radon in. It is unlikely that caulking the accessible cracks and joints will permanently seal the openings radon needs to enter the house. The radon levels will still likely remain unchanged.
what are the effects of Radon on my family
Health officials have determined that radon gas is a carcinogen that can cause lung cancer. Studies show that radon is more of a risk to smokers, but nonsmokers have a slightly elevated chance of developing lung cancer when radon levels in the home are high.
The only way to find out if your house contains radon gas is to perform radon tests.
