Date Published: 10/15/2006 [Source]
Twenty-one thousand. That's how many people will succumb to the effects of radon. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, radon will kill more than drunken driving.
It is the second leading cause of lung cancer in America, and most are exposed — needlessly — in their homes.
As a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas, radon seeps from soils and rocks. The radioactive gas occurs naturally as part of the uranium chain of decay. Uranium breaks down into other, different elements, one of them being radon.
As radon escapes from the ground, it creeps into homes through cracks or holes in the foundation. It is usually confined to lower areas because it is a relatively heavy gas. Dissipating when in contact with air for long, these tiny particles can stick to other airborne particles like dust. Then, the radioactive radon particles are easily inhaled into the lungs. When they lodge in the lungs, they release bursts of energy that disfigure and destroy cells. This cell destruction and disfigurement can lead to cancer.
It can be found all across the United States in any home, anywhere. Dutchess and Ulster counties are not exceptions. Levels exceeding the EPA's recommended safe level of 4 picoCuries per liter of air are common.
In a 2006 survey by the New York State Department of Health, about 2,800 Dutchess County homes were tested for radon. Of those, nearly half of the homes had levels that were unsafe, and more than 5 percent had readings of 20 pCi/L or higher. The same survey in Ulster County showed that 25 percent of about 1,200 homes had potentially unsafe levels of radon.
Levels vary greatly from town to town, and house to house.
Almost half of the homes tested in Poughkeepsie had levels that were 4 pCi/L or more. Of the homes sampled in Hyde Park, more than half exceeded the safe level, and in Wappinger more than 36 percent did.
There are ways to combat high levels of radon. A homeowner is not powerless. The EPA has "A Homeowner's Guide to Radon" that includes an easy-to-understand description of radon, its effects and how one might go about reducing radon levels.
When a home is purchased, the buyer typically has the air tested, but older homes may go years without tests.
One method of fixing the problem involves placing an impermeable barrier of plastic under the foundation, to block the gas from rising into the home. A vent pipe extends from the gravel layer through the house and up into the roof where it escapes into the atmosphere. An electric venting fan can be installed to facilitate the process of radon gas extraction from the ground.
Radon is indeed dangerous, but living with it is not impossible. Radon reduction practices are commonplace and testing is not an overwhelming burden. It is simply a matter of doing it.