How Does Radon Get Into Your House ?
What Is Radon ? Where Does It Come From ?
Radon is formed primarily from Uranium and Thorium based elements in the soil. Through the natural process of decay, the initial elements change and at one stage form what is known as Radon. It is at this point that a hazard exists to the average person. The Radon (Gas) rises to the surface of the earth. If it is released into the atmosphere it is quite harmless, but if it gets trapped in a building with poor ventilation it stays there for its life span (3.8 days half life). As it decays radon daughters are formed they are radioactive. These radon daughters are what cause the increased cancer rates. (Radon Risk and Remedy by Davis J. Brenner)
How Does Radon Get Into Your Home ?
Because it behaves as a gas, Radon can penetrate through small cracks in the basement walls, foundation, and spaces around joints, pipes, and drains. Radon may also enter your home through the well water or sump water and sump hole.
What Do Radon Daughters Do To Our Bodies That Cause Cancer ?
Lung cancer is the documented disease linked to Radon gas in the air. New studies are now relating Radon in Water to bone cancer as well as stomach, liver, kidney and fat cancers.
One example of how Radon Daughters affect the body's cellular structure can be explained with the attached diagram which illustrates the same effect as a bowling ball through marbles on string.
As we breathe Radon and the particles known as Radon Daughters enter our lungs, or we ingest them in the water we drink. Because they are radioactive they affect the sensitive cellular structures in the lungs, intestine and stomach. The Alpha particles which are large compared to the molecules they are passing through, smash through the electrons, disrupting them within the cellular structure. This disruption sets off the initial imbalance within the molecules, in the long term this causes the malformation of cells leading to cancer. (Radon The Invisible Threat by Michael Lafavore)
Primary entry into homes is via the soil, through cracks in cement floors, basement walls and sump pump holes,natural gas, loose pipes and fittings.
Hollow block walls allow access to the basement through naturally formed ventilation routes in the blocks. Radon in these blocks then seep into the basement where the block walls meet the floor joists or through cracks in the interior block walls.
Cracks in the cement floors allow radon entry from underneath the basement floor. The more porous the cement the less of a barrier there is between the inside and outside. Levels of radon three feet below the ground levels can be as much as one hundred to three hundred percent higher than the levels inside a basement, so it is extremely important to ensure that all cracks are filled.
If a building has internal circulation, the radon levels on other levels of the building will be similar to those in the basement. If a building has a closed basement the levels may be half that reading on other levels of the building. Without reliable, regular air exchange the levels of radon could become high. In our Northern Ontario climate and geological area (Canadian Shield) the highest radon exposure period or season is the winter when most homes are closed up for several months at a time. Levels at this time of year can be ten to a hundred times that of summer levels.
In the air: Radon gas gets trapped in a building and cannot escape. If it is breathed in it can cause significant damage to lung tissues which will through regular exposure lead to lung cancer. Children's lungs are more susceptible because of lung shape and tissue texture to prolonged damage from radon gas in the air.
Water sources from deep spring or drilled wells in areas of high levels of light granite, shale, soil, dark granite, and sandstone. other mineral sources can also be radon emitters. This water is inundated with radon gas and radium particles deep within the earths crust. It does not normally have the time to naturally aerate before it is pumped into a home utilizing either of these forms of residential water. If the water is highly inundated with radon gas it will be released into the air when water is used. If water is heated there will be a greater release of radon into the household air.
In the last few years it has been recognized that high levels of radon in water can also be responsible for increased rates of stomach, kidney, liver, and bone cancers. If a child has a drink of water before bed the radon levels in the stomach stay high through out the sleeping period where as during the day levels are relatively low due to normal bodily function and activities. This increased direct contact with internal organs during sleeping raises the exposure levels greatly. Continuous exposure to radon in water can cause tissue damage resulting in cancer.
North Bay, Ontario, Canada
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