The Importance Of Radon

Here is an interesting fact that might surprise the average person. Radon is a colorless gas that is found in numerous homes across the country. In fact, many people are not aware that they have high amounts of radon in their home. Radon is a dangerous gas and is responsible for millions of health related problems yearly among people across the country. Experts agree that a radon test for the radon levels in the home is mandatory to determine if radon gas is within the structure of the building. Next, contact a radon mitigation contractor for resolution of the problem.

For this assignment, I have decided to speak on the harmful environmental health effects of radon exposure. Despite the fact that EPA considers Chicago counties at moderate risk of radon toxicity, 42% of homes tested throughout Illinois showed dangerously elevated levels (Chicago parent, 2009). Radon is a natural radioactive gas without odor, color or taste. Its detection can only be made using special equipment. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer related deaths in the US. Lung disease is a main source of tumor death

     The risk from radon in water is much lower than the risk from radon in

Lung cancer is a very common to be diagnosed with and harmful to anyone who is exposed to many resources around the world: smoking (first hand and second hand) and pollution. Any resource that is made up of chemicals that are exposed into the air that people breathe, give the risk of affecting others with lung cancer. However, since smoking is the most popular way to cause lung cancer, many people are exposed to it from either firsthand or second hand. First hand smoking is when the person being affected is indirect contact with the source that is giving off the toxins, while secondhand is when the one being affected is not directly connected to the main source. Either way the chemicals and toxins that come from harmful resources soon will build up and affect one’s normal body

A common form of cancer that is very popular today is lung cancer. Lung cancer is a very dangerous form that can cause problems in simple body functions. These simple body functions are short breath and general fatigue. Lung cancer is commonly formed from smokers that has been exposed to that activity for numerous years. Lung cancer can also be spread by being exposed to asbestos or other pollutants. This form of cancer has many risk factors to it. These risk factors are high levels of air pollution, arsenic drinking water, and radon gas. Radon gas is a gas that is highly radioactive and is very sensitive to the body. Once radon is exposed to the body, it has a very high respiration rate which initially divide its radioactive cells- causing more significant damage to the body.

It is now known that radium, shown in figure 4, is a potent carcinogen (a substance the cause’s cancer (Wilbraham, Staley, Marta, & Waterman, 2005)). It emits a form of ionizing radiation which “includes electromagnetic radiation (e.g., gamma rays and X-rays) as well as particles (e.g., alpha particles, beta particles, high-speed neutrons, high-speed electrons, high-speed protons, etc.)” (National Library of Medicine, n.d.). Acute studies have been done on the effects of radium exposure on the human body by organizations like the Geneva World Health Organization, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and Monographs on the Evaluation of the Carcinogenic Risk of Chemicals to Man. As a result of their findings, The National Library of Medicine states that sufficient evidence has been provided showing that prolonged exposure to Raduim-224, Radium-226,

Workers were cleared to return work in nearby buildings b ring told by the EPA that the air was safe to breath and the water was safe to drink, and that there was no excess concerns. However, tests were later shown to have unsafe levels of fiberglass, Asbestos that settled onto rooftops and streets. further testing from the USGS proved that the dust in the air and on the ground was as corrosive as drain cleaner. But more chemicals that

Radon, on the other hand, is a naturally occurring radioactive gas, which emanates from rocks and soil that contributes to the incidence of lung cancer. Children appear to be at a higher risk for lung cancer because they are more sensitive to the ionizing effects of radiation than adults, and parents that smoke amplifies their children’s risk. Marion County as a whole, has been categorized by the EPA as

The average annual radiation dose received by Americans is 360 millirems (or "mrems"), about 300 of which come from naturally occurring sources like radon. By contrast, you would get only 0.01 mrems per year as a result of living 50 feet from a nuclear power plant. Even a single annual cross-country airplane flight exposes you to 3 mrems, while a medical X-ray gives you a dose of 20 mrems.

This radioactive pollution is anything but acceptable even though it is being deemed “acceptable,” by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (World Business Academy). The health effects of radioactivity are accumulative in the human body, consequently, the longer an individual has been living around a nuclear power plant, the more radioactivity their body absorbed. Engaged with leading researchers in the field, the Academy commissioned a health study to investigate the potential impact the Diablo Canyon has on the local population (World Business Academy). By examining publicly available health data broken out by zip code, an abrupt trend emerged: the local population in the hot zone has been getting sicker every year the plant has been operating (World Business

Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a response update to assess potential impacts to human and aquatic life (2014). The method the EPA employed was to analyze surface water and sediments for contaminants and compare those results to its screening levels. To assess impact to human health, the EPA compared the sediment data to health risk screening levels and compared drinking water samples to Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) as well as to other indicators. Overall, the EPA found those levels found in sediment data and water samples to not exceed human health screening levels and thus determined that there wasn’t significant risk to human health, although the EPA did recommend that people do not come in direct contact with coal ash as it could still pose health risks. These findings were consistent with that of Dr. Shea.

This gas can be found easily all over the United States in homes, schools, companies,etc. Did you know that the radioactive gas, radon has been found in every state? It is shocking, but still it is true. Therefore I think it would be a smart decision to have mandatory radon testing in schools. It would help us prevent kids from getting lung cancer in schools because of the poisonous gases. There are multiple ways that you can test for radon in a building. But one way would be by calling a qualified radon testers around your area. Many of you may ask, “Is radon a problem in Idaho,” and the answer to that is yes. As the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare state, “... there are many areas throughout Idaho that have high levels of radon.” Such places in Idaho like: Twin Falls with 23% radon, Jerome with 19%, Gooding with 28%,etc. So as we can tell places close to where we live are pretty low, but those percentages can increase over time, that’s only if we don’t take action. Knowing this I believe that we should have testings in schools to make sure that the kids aren’t in danger. This is why I think that it should be mandatory to have radon testings in

Statistics report that radon is the number one cause of lung cancer for non-smokers in the US and the second leading cause of lung cancer overall.

Causes: The foremost reason for lung cancer is cigarette smoking which causes around 90% of all deaths caused by lung cancer in the world. However, smoking is not the only way to get it. The second most frequent cause of lung cancer is exposure to radon gas, which

Asbestos in the home can be very dangerous. It is very common for homes built or remodeled before the 1970’s to have asbestos-containing materials in them. During the twentieth century, about 30 million tons of asbestos fibers were used in the United States, and some of this asbestos ended up in residential buildings. If you have purchased a home or are considering the purchase of one, the presence of asbestos is nor necessarily a problem. The majority of individuals with asbestos related diseases have been in the business of manufacturing, installing and/or removing asbestos products. Fortunately, most people exposed to small amounts of asbestos do not develop asbestos related health problems. However, there is no known “safe” level of exposure, therefore, all exposure to asbestos should be avoided.