radon gas

• Radon: 

  • Radioactive 
  • Colourless 
  • Odourless 
  • Tasteless 
  • Noble gas 
• Produced from the decay of uranium and thorium and has a half life of 3.8 days. 
• Radon is very dense and remains a gas under normal conditions, 8 times denser than air. 
• Radon is found in silicic rocks like granite and rhyolite. 
• Radon is found in organic rich shales and rocks that contain phosphate 
• Radon is found in metamorphic rocks like schist and gneiss. 
• Radon is measured in becquerel. 
• Radon dust can be breathed in, and trapped in lungs causing radiation damage to tissues increasing the chances of lung cancer. 
• The higher the radon, the longer the exposure and the greater the risk. 
• Radon causes 1000 deaths per year from lung cancer, almost half of this population smoked too. 
• Government policies include targeting areas of the country where 1 % of the homes are above the action level (200). 
• Two radon detectors are placed in a living area and a bedroom. After 3 months the detectors are sent for analysis. 
• Radon escapes from the ground into homes. 
• Reducing levels:

  • Open windows 
  • Air bricks above ground level 
  • Air pumps to pump out gas 
• Reducing levels:

  • Seal cracks in floors and foundations 
  • Seal gaps where services utilities enter the house 
• Reducing levels:

  • Install a sump beneath buildings to collect gas and pump it away 
• Radon levels can indicate an earthquake and map faults.