January: National Radon Action Month

Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer. 21,000 unknowing Americans fall to its indiscriminate radioactive, lung tissue destroying onslaught. Of those 21,000, 2,900 have never smoked. Radon gas is a nuclear decay product of uranium, found in the soils all over the USA and the rest of the world. Since radon is a gas, it rises through the soil and makes it away up above the ground into the air.

Radon in low dosages is relatively harmless. A typical air concentration sits around 0.4 pCi/L. However, due to the structures and mechanical systems that we use within them, Radon can propagate naturally into our living space and achieve toxic levels to our bodies when left unchecked. Radon’s decay products include highly destructive alpha particles during each half-life cycle down its decay chain. These alpha particles are responsible for destroying organ tissue, specifically the lungs. The EPA has 4.0 pCi/L as the actionable level of radon concentration of needing mitigation measures to avoid toxic levels.