You can be exposed to as much as 35 times the radon levels with a 4 pCi/l dose as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would allow if you were to stand next to the fence of a radioactive dumping site. An elementary school student that spends 8 hours per day and 180 days per year in a classroom with 4 pCi/l of radon will receive nearly 10 times as much radiation as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission allows at the edge of a nuclear power plant. Most U.S. EPA lifetime safety standards for carcinogens are established based on a 1 in 100,000 risk of death. Most scientists agree that the risk of death for radon at 4 pCi/l is approximately 1 in 100. At the 4 pCi/l EPA action guideline level, radon carries approximately 1000 times the risk of death as any other EPA carcinogen. It is important to note that the action level is not a safe level, as there are no "safe" levels of radon gas.

What is radon?

Radon is a cancer-causing radioactive gas. It cannot be seen or smelled or tasted, but it can still be a problem in your home. Warnings from the Surgeon General are that in the Uniited States radon is the 2nd leading cause of lung cancer today. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, you're at high risk for developing lung cancer, and studies show that children may be more sensitive to radon. What makes children more vulnerable? It may be their higher respiration rate and their rapidly dividing cells, which can be more vulnerable to radiation damage.

Radon is a highly radioactive gaseous element discovered in 1899 by English physicist Ernest Rutherford. German physicist Friedrich Ernst Dorn has also gotten credit for this discovery in 1900. More specifically, Rutherford discovered radon's alpha radiation and Dorn discovered that radium was releasing a gas.

Radon is a colorless chemically-unreactive inert gas. The atomic radius is 1.34 angstroms and it is the heaviest known gas--radon is nine times denser than air. Because it is a single atom gas (unlike oxygen, O2, which is comprised of two atoms) it easily penetrates many common materials like paper, leather, low density plastic (like plastic bags, etc.) most paints, and building materials like gypsum board (sheetrock), concrete block, mortar, sheathing paper (tarpaper), wood paneling, and most insulations.

Radon is also fairly soluble in organic solvents, as well as in water. Although reaction with other compounds is comparatively rare, it is not completely inert and forms stable molecules with highly electronegative materials.

Exposure

Inhalation and ingestion are the main ways occupants of homes can absorb radon. Radon in the groundwater, in the soil, and can be in building materials enters working and living spaces and disintegrates into its decay products. Although high concentrations of radon in groundwater may contribute to radon exposure through ingestion, the inhalation of radon released from water is usually more important. It typically takes years of exposure before any problems surface.

Higher than normal radon levels have been discovered in every single state, including New York, making radon a national health issue. As 8 million homes throughout the country have higher than normal levels of radon, according to the US EPA. Current state surveys show that 1 home in 5 has elevated levels of radon.

Radon on Long Island