Where Did Radon Gas Come From?

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, but where did radon gas come from? Radon gas comes from the element radium. Radium is radioactive and has such a short half-life that it is not an element found naturally in the environment. It is generated from the radioactive decay of uranium. Uranium occurs in the earth’s crust naturally.

As uranium radioactively decays in the earth’s crust, radioactive radon atoms are made. The half-life of radium is about 3.5 days and, since radon is produced when it decays, large amounts of radon can build up rapidly.

Radon is the heaviest inert gas that naturally occurs. As it is produced, it seeps up through the soil and collects in any available space. When it seeps up through the soil under a building structure and there is a leak or pathway into the structure, the radon is able to collect in the home or business. Not only is radon a problem in the home, but also in the workplace, schools, and in childcare and daycare centers.

Radon Gas in Buildings

The naturally occurring amount of radon in the soil amounts to a normal background level of radiation. In every square mile of surface soil, down to the depth of six inches, one gram of radium occurs naturally. This means you are exposed to this all the time, but the exposure in your daily life is normally well below the danger level for health concerns.

Usually, the environments that show marked increases of uranium include uranium mines, pulverized granite rocks and radium rich hot springs. However, radon gas can get into other structures and cause potential problems.

Radon gets into a structure using one of seven key methods. The seven ways that radon seeps into your structure include cracks in solid floors, construction joints, gaps in suspended floors, gaps around service pipe feedholes, cracks in walls, water supply or cavities inside walls. All of these routes allow radon from the ground to enter your structure and begin to pool in low-lying areas.

Exposure to Radon

Exposure to the radon that has accumulated in your house or office will cause your body to be subject to higher levels of radiation than are normal. Radiation alters the cells in your body and generates mutated structures that can develop into cancer cells. The main type of cancer that is associated with excess radon exposure is lung cancer. There have not been enough studies at this point to determine if there is a link between radon exposure and leukemia.

Minimizing Radon in the Home

To minimize the radon levels in your home or office if you have a radon problem, you should put into effect one of several preventative measures. While you may not know where did radon gas come from, these steps will help you to stop it from entering. Normally, the first step is to seal the bottom of the house with a thick sheet of plastic that will serve as a barrier to the radon seeping into the building.

To clear out the higher concentrations of radon that accumulate under floors, install a ventilation system. This will blow out the accumulated higher concentrations. A ventilation system can also be used in other places that will pose a threat of higher radon presence. It can help you transport air through the house, bringing fresh air into the basement and flushing out the air with higher amounts of radon.

To remove the radon in the basement of a home or office, a sump pump will be a great help. Sealing the floors and walls of any size house or building can have a significant effect. It will prevent radon from distributing throughout the structure. The last and perhaps the greatest help would be to install a new positive pressure ventilation system. This will prevent radon from entering the building.

Radon Testing

The evaluation of your structure for radon levels can be performed by simple inexpensive and quick tests. The simple test uses a collector that is placed in the lowest livable level of the house for from two to seven days. The collector is then sent into a lab that will analyze for radon level.

Other tests are available. Tests that are conducted for longer periods will give better results. When considering purchasing land for a building site, outdoor tests of the property are advised. The outdoor tests of the property will definitely specify the radon levels on the land. These tests should answer the question, where did radon gas come from in my house.