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RADON
Below
is
some
general
information
about
Radon.
Please
visit
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/
for
a
wealth
of
information
about
Radon.
Definition
Sources
of
Radon
What
are
the
Health
Effects
From
Exposure
to
Radon?
What
is
the
Average
Level
of
Radon
Found
in
a
Home?
What's
the
debate
on
radon?
How
do
we
know
radon
is
a
carcinogen?
Does
the
Auvinen
Finnish
Study
Prove
that
Residential
Radon
Does
Not
Cause
Lung
Cancer?
Why
does
it
take
so
many
cases
to
make
residential
radon
epidemiology
(EPI)
studies
meaningful?
Why
are
residential
EPI
studies
of
radon
so
complicated?
Are
there
any
residential
EPI
studies
finding
increased
risk
of
lung
cancer
due
to
radon?
When
will
we
know
for
sure
about
Radon's
Health
Risk?
Finding
a
"Qualified"
Radon
Service
Professional
Definition
Radon
is
a
gaseous
radioactive
element
having
the
symbol
Rn,
the
atomic
number
86,
an
atomic
weight
of
222,
a
melting
point
of
-71ºC,
a
boiling
point
of
-62ºC,
and
(depending
on
the
source,
there
are
between
20
and
25
isotopes
of
radon
-
20
cited
in
the
chemical
summary,
25
listed
in
the
table
of
isotopes);
it
is
an
extremely
toxic,
colorless
gas;
it
can
be
condensed
to
a
transparent
liquid
and
to
an
opaque,
glowing
solid;
it
is
derived
from
the
radioactive
decay
of
radium
and
is
used
in
cancer
treatment,
as
a
tracer
in
leak
detection,
and
in
radiography.
(From
the
word
radium,
the
substance
from
which
it
is
derived.)
Sources:
Condensed
Chemical
Dictionary,
and
Handbook
of
Chemistry
and
Physics,
69th
ed.,
CRC
Press,
Boca
Raton,
FL,
1988.
Top
of
page
Sources
of
Radon
Earth
and
rock
beneath
home;
well
water;
building
materials.
Top
of
page
What
are
the
Health
Effects
From
Exposure
to
Radon
No
immediate
symptoms.
Radon
in
indoor
air
is
estimated
to
cause
between
15,000
and
22,000
lung
cancer
deaths
each
year
in
the
United
States.
Smokers
are
at
higher
risk
of
developing
Radon-induced
lung
cancer.
The
only
health
effect
which
has
been
definitively
linked
with
radon
exposure
is
lung
cancer.
Lung
cancer
would
usually
occur
years
(5-25)
after
exposure.
There
is
no
evidence
that
other
respiratory
diseases,
such
as
asthma,
are
caused
by
radon
exposure
and
there
is
no
evidence
that
children
are
at
any
greater
risk
of
radon
induced
lung
cancer
than
adults.
Top
of
page
What
is
the
Average
Level
of
Radon
Found
in
a
Home?
Based
on
a
national
residential
radon
survey
completed
in
1991,
the
average
indoor
radon
level
is
1.3
picocuries
per
liter
(pCi/L)
in
the
United
States.
The
average
outdoor
level
is
about
0.4
pCi/L.
Top
of
page
What's
the
Debate
on
Radon?
There
is
no
debate
about
radon
being
a
lung
carcinogen
in
humans.
All
major
national
and
international
organizations
that
have
examined
the
health
risks
of
radon
agree
that
it
is
a
lung
carcinogen.
The
scientific
community
continues
to
conduct
research
to
refine
our
understanding
of
the
precise
number
of
deaths
attributable
to
radon.
EPA
and
the
National
Cancer
Institute
(NCI)
have
independently
placed
that
number
at
about
15,000
lung
cancer
deaths
each
year
in
the
United
States.
A
few
scientists
have
questioned
whether
low
radon
levels,
such
as
those
found
in
residences,
increase
the
risk
of
lung
cancer
because
some
small
studies
of
radon
and
lung
cancer
in
residences
have
produced
varied
results.
Some
have
shown
a
relationship
between
radon
and
lung
cancer,
some
have
not.
However,
the
national
and
international
scientific
communities
are
in
agreement
that
all
of
these
residential
studies
have
been
too
small
to
provide
conclusive
information
about
radon
health
risks.
All
major
scientific
organizations
continue
to
believe
that
approximately
10%
of
lung
cancers
in
the
United
States
--
or
about
15,000
lung
cancer
deaths
annually
--
are
attributable
to
radon.
Top
of
page
How
do
we
know
radon
is
a
carcinogen?
The
World
Health
Organization
(WHO)
and
the
US
Department
of
Health
and
Human
Services,
as
well
as
EPA,
have
classified
radon
as
a
"Class
A"
known
human
carcinogen,
because
of
the
wealth
of
biological
and
epidemiological
evidence
and
data
showing
the
connection
between
exposure
to
radon
and
lung
cancer
in
humans.
The
World
Health
Organization,
the
National
Academy
of
Sciences
and
other
scientific
organizations
agree
that
studies
of
the
miners
are
the
best
scientific
information
for
estimating
radon
health
risks
in
homes.
The
Lubin/Boice
meta-analysis
paper
also
concludes
that
the
miners
studies
are
the
best
data
source
for
analyzing
residential
radon
risk.
Based
on
the
miner
data,
NCI
has
previously
estimated
that
15,000
people
die
of
lung
cancer
from
residential
radon
each
year
in
the
U.S.
There
have
been
many
studies
conducted
by
many
different
organizations
in
many
nations
around
the
world
to
examine
the
relationship
of
radon
exposure
and
human
lung
cancer.
The
largest
and
most
recent
of
these
was
an
international
study,
led
by
the
National
Cancer
Institute
(NCI),
which
examined
the
data
on
68,000
underground
miners
who
were
exposed
to
a
wide
range
of
radon
levels.
The
studies
of
miners
are
very
useful
because
the
subjects
are
humans,
not
rats,
as
in
many
cancer
research
studies.
These
miners
are
dying
of
lung
cancer
at
5
times
the
rate
expected
for
the
general
population.
Over
many
years
scientists
around
the
world
have
conducted
exhaustive
research
to
verify
the
cause-effect
relationship
between
radon
exposure
and
the
observed
increased
lung
cancer
deaths
in
these
miners
and
to
eliminate
other
possible
causes.
In
addition,
there
is
an
overlap
between
radon
exposures
received
by
miners
who
got
lung
cancer
and
the
exposures
people
would
receive
over
their
lifetime
in
a
home
at
EPA's
action
level
of
4
pCi/L,
i.e.,
there
are
no
large
extrapolations
involved
in
estimating
radon
risks
in
homes.
No,
the
Finnish
study
by
itself
is
too
small
with
only
1055
subjects
to
provide
any
definitive
proof.
Scientists
from
the
U.S.
Public
Health
Service
Agencies
recently
reviewed
the
radon
risk
assessment
and
the
proliferation
of
small
residential
epidemiological
studies
like
the
Finnish
study.
They
concluded
that
residential
epidemiology
studies
would
need
a
minimum
of
10,000
to
30,000
lung
cancer
cases
plus
twice
a
many
controls
to
adequately
address
this
issue.
Clarification:
The
residential
epidemiology
study
recently
reported
out
of
Finland,
examined
homes
with
low
radon
levels;
the
median
indoor
radon
level
was
1.8
picoCuries
per
liter
(pCi/L)
of
air.
Dr.
Jonathan
Samet,
chairman
of
the
National
Academy
of
Sciences
BEIR
VI
Committee,
responded
to
the
Finnish
study
stating,
"...by
itself,
the
study
is
too
small
in
size
and
consequently
without
sufficient
statistical
power
to
characterize
precisely
the
risk
of
lung
cancer
associated
with
indoor
radon.
Consequently,
the
conclusions
of
the
article
are
overstated
and
the
authors'
judgment
as
to
the
implications
of
their
findings,
"Indoor
radon
exposure
does
not
appear
to
be
an
important
cause
of
lung
cancer,""
is
not
supported
by
the
evidence
presented."
Top
of
page
Why
does
it
take
so
many
cases
to
make
residential
radon
epidemiology
studies
meaningful?
To
have
a
reasonable
certainty
in
the
conclusions,
many
thousands
of
cases
are
required
to
detect
the
increased
risk
of
lung
cancer
due
to
radon.
This
is
because
the
more
things
that
cause
a
disease
the
harder
it
is
to
separate
one
cause
from
another,
thus
it
takes
many
cases
to
pinpoint
the
risk
from
each
separate
cause.
The
U.S.
Public
Health
Service
radon
experts
estimate
that
10,000
to
30,000
cases,
and
twice
as
many
controls
would
be
needed
to
conduct
a
definitive
epidemiologic
study
of
residential
radon
lung
cancer
risk.
The
residential
studies
conducted
to
date
have
all
included
between
50
and
1500
cases
and
thus
have
been
too
small
to
provide
conclusive
information.
Some
years
ago
this
same
process
was
used
to
detect
an
increased
risk
of
lung
cancer
due
to
cigarette
smoking.
It
took
many
years
of
study
to
make
the
positive
link
between
the
cause
and
effect
of
smoking
and
lung
cancer.
Most
of
the
increased
lung
cancer
risk
is
attributable
to
smoking
through
mathematical
modeling.
The
research
process
for
smoking
was
very
laborious.
However,
radon's
process
is
even
more
challenging
because
radon's
contribution
to
increased
lung
cancer
risk
(10%)
is
difficult
to
see
against
the
large
background
of
lung
cancer
due
to
other
causes,
which
include
smoking,
asbestos,
some
heavy
metals
and
other
types
of
radiation;
i.e.,
detecting
radon-related
lung
cancer
is
like
trying
to
detect
a
10%
increase
of
sand
on
a
beach
already
full
of
sand.
Finally,
it
is
difficult
to
accurately
determine
radon
exposures
in
residential
settings
since
we
are
estimating
past
exposures
from
current
measurements.
The
number
of
required
study
participants
increases
with
the
difficulty
in
determining
the
exposure.
Top
of
page
Why
are
residential
epidemiology
studies
of
radon
so
complicated?
There
are
many
factors
that
must
be
considered
when
designing
a
residential
radon
epidemiology
study.
It
is
very
expensive
and
often
impossible
to
design
a
study
that
takes
all
the
pertinent
factors
into
consideration.
These
factors
include:
Mobility:
people
move
a
lot
over
their
lifetime;
it
is
virtually
impossible
to
go
back
and
test
every
home
where
an
individual
has
lived;
Housing
Stock
Changes:
over
time,
older
homes
are
often
destroyed
or
remodeled,
thus
radon
measurements
will
be
non-existent
or
highly
varied;
a
home's
radon
level
may
change,
higher
or
lower,
over
time
if
new
ventilation
systems
are
installed,
the
occupancy
patterns
are
substantially
different,
or
the
home's
foundation
shifts
or
cracks
appear.
Inaccurate
Histories:
often
a
majority
of
the
lung
cancer
cases
(individuals)
being
studied
are
deceased
or
too
sick
to
be
interviewed
by
researchers.
This
requires
reliance
on
second-hand
information
which
may
not
be
as
accurate.
These
inaccuracies
primarily
affect:
Residence
History:
a
child
or
other
relative
may
not
be
aware
of
all
residences
occupied
by
the
patient
-
particularly
if
the
occupancy
is
distant
in
time
or
of
relatively
short
duration.
Even
if
the
surrogate
respondent
is
aware
of
a
residence
they
may
not
have
enough
additional
information
to
allow
researchers
to
locate
the
home.
Smoking
History:
smoking
history
historically
has
reliability
problems.
Individuals
may
under-estimate
the
amount
they
smoke.
Conversely,
relatives
or
friends
may
over-estimate
smoking
history.
Other:
complicating
factors
other
than
variations
in
smoking
habits
include
an
individual's:
genetics,
lifestyle,
exposure
to
other
carcinogens,
and
home
heating,
venting
and
air
conditioning
preferences.
Top
of
page
Are
there
any
residential
epidemiology
studies
finding
increased
risk
of
lung
cancer
due
to
radon?
Yes,
several
residential
epidemiology
studies
have
found
an
increased
risk
of
lung
cancer
due
to
residential
exposures
(i.e.
Sweden,
New
Jersey
)
These
studies
are
also
just
pieces
of
a
much
bigger
puzzle
that
is
being
put
together.
Top
of
page
When
will
we
know
for
sure
about
radon's
health
risk?
We
already
have
a
wealth
of
scientific
data
on
the
relationship
between
radon
exposure
and
the
development
of
lung
cancer.
The
scientific
experts
agree
that
the
occupational
miner
data
is
a
very
solid
base
from
which
to
estimate
a
risk
range
of
7,000-30,000
lung
cancer
deaths
annually.
While
residential
radon
epidemiology
studies
will
improve
what
we
know
about
radon,
they
will
not
supersede
the
occupational
data.
EPA
is
funding
efforts
by
the
NAS.
Health
authorities
like
the
Centers
for
Disease
Control
(CDC),
the
Surgeon
General,
the
American
Lung
Association,
the
American
Medical
Association,
and
others
agree
that
we
know
enough
now
to
recommend
radon
testing
and
to
encourage
public
action
when
levels
are
above
4
pCi/L.
The
most
comprehensive
of
these
efforts
is
the
National
Academy
of
Science's
Biological
Effects
of
Ionizing
Radiation
(BEIR
VI)
Report.
As
in
the
case
of
cigarette
smoking,
it
would
probably
take
many
years
and
rigorous
scientific
research
to
produce
the
composite
data
needed
to
make
an
even
more
definitive
Top
of
page
conclusion.
Finding
a
qualified
Radon
service
professional
If
you
are
interested
in
finding
a
qualified
radon
service
professional
to
test
or
mitigate
your
home,
or
you
need
to
purchase
a
radon
measurement
device,
you
should:
Contact
your
State
Radon
Contact
to
determine
what
are,
or
whether
there
are,
requirements
associated
with
providing
radon
measurement
and
or
radon
mitigations/reductions
in
your
State.
Some
States
maintain
lists
of
contractors
available
in
their
state
or
they
have
proficiency
programs
or
requirements
of
their
own.
Top
of
page
Lead
Paint
|
Radon
Gas
|
Fair
Housing
|
Agency
Disclosure
|
Mortgage
Info
|
Complaints
|
