Op-ed: Is radon something to worry about?

Following is a brief study on the concerns of radon in your home. This piece was written by Robert T. Heath, PhD and is being presented by The Kent Environmental Council. KEC is looking forward to offering, in cooperation with The Portager, information on current environmental topics on a periodic basis. This is the first.

Please note that the Kent Environmental Council’s SEEK group will be offering more information to the public during a presentation taking place at the Kent Free Library on March 19th at 6:30 pm.

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The short answer to the title question is: It depends. If that doesn’t satisfy your curiosity, please read on.

Radon is a radioactive element that is an odorless, colorless gas, which may (or may not) be in your home. “Radioactive” means that an element disintegrates to another element, giving off “ionizing radiations” in the process. It’s those radiations that cause health problems. For a deeper dive into the science behind this please read the final paragraphs of this article. For purposes relative to your health let’s stick to the occurrence of radon and its potential health hazards.

Health hazards of radon in your home: Radon is an inert gas that naturally occurs in the air. Because it is inert, it doesn’t react with other components in the air such as oxygen; it just remains radon gas that you breathe. Because it’s inert, radon can move throughout the body where it primarily takes residence in the lungs. There, it can dissolve in the mucosa linings of the lungs, which can then lead to lung cancer. In fact, radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancers in the US, smoking being the primary cause.  

Radon ultimately comes from uranium, which is a fairly common element in shallow subsoils – more common in some soils than others. In regions with uranium-rich soils, radon would likely be more prevalent. Radon burps up through the soils and into homes where the soils are loosened by ground disturbances, as ordinary as construction projects or as dramatic as earthquakes. The buildup of radon in a home is greatest when the house is not ventilated – for example in the winter when the house is closed. When the windows are open and fans are actively exchanging the air in the summer, radon buildup is lessened.

Meanwhile, back to the original question: is radon something to worry about? You can only be certain by testing, and NOW is the best time to test, in the winter, when our houses are closed to external ventilation and radon buildup is likely at its annual maximum. Testing is free and easy (get your free kit here: https://ohio.radon.com/). The test depends on radon adhering to the activated charcoal inside the test envelope. Follow the directions included with the kit carefully, then go online to get your results.

Should you be concerned about radon in your environment? If you are or have been a smoker you are more likely to have health problems from radon exposure than a non-smoker. Finally, living in Northeastern Ohio are you likely to have a radon problem? No. Northeastern Ohio shallow subsoils are very low in uranium deposits that lead to radon release, but test anyway, just to be assured of your radon safety.

Now, for the deeper dive into the science promised earlier:

The main hazard of radon is the damage that can be caused by its ionizing radiation: alpha particles. Uranium disintegrates to radium by giving off an alpha particle; then radium disintegrates to radon by giving off an alpha particle. In turn, radon disintegrates through a series of steps, eventually to a stable form of lead. Each disintegration involves the emission of ionizing radiations, including alpha particles. Alpha particles are Helium nuclei (2 protons and 2 neutrons) with an electrostatic charge of +2.  Because of its heavy mass (about four atomic mass units) an alpha particle doesn’t travel very far, despite its high energy of emission. It may travel less than a millimeter in human tissue. Because of large electrostatic charge, alpha particles ionize many atoms along their very short path. These ionizations can result in damage to DNA, leading to mutations that can result in lung cancers.

Robert T. (Bob) Heath, PhD (Biophysics) was licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to handle any radionuclide. He served as Radiation Safety Officer for Kent State University and the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine.  

Reference:

Harrell, J. A., McKenna, J.P., and Kumar, A.  1993.  Geologic controls on indoor radon in Ohio; Report of Investigations No. 144, 36p.