Radon Gas: The Silent Killer
Radon Gas is one of the most dangerous gases, it has no smell, taste or color. It is an invisible gas and is responsible for over 21,000 deaths a year in the US alone.
NATURAL GASES AND PRODUCTION LEVELS AROUND THE WORLD
What Is Gas
Gases are made up from a collection of electrons and neurons, atoms, ions and molecules without any shape or form. Gas is a state of matter unlike an object, place, person or a thing. As they release into the atmosphere they separate, they do not disappear they just have more freedom to move around.
Radon Gas (Rn)
Radon gas is colourless, odorless and tasteless but is naturally formed all across the globe. This gas is being released from the ground beneath you now this minute, and has been doing so since the beginning of time. If this gas can not escape it can become fatal. When it is trapped it mixes with the air we breathe and it can cause lung cancer. It is the second most common cause for lung cancer next to cigarettes. Under your home, there are Radon gases being released constantly, in your foundations there are Radon traps that divert these gases to the side of your home, or school or business or what ever the case may be. They are released into the atmosphere and they disperse, breaking down into harmless gases. Radon Gas is a Radioactive Noble Gas that is made up of decaying radium. Radon gas is one of the heaviest gases in the world, at room temperature it can be up to 8 times denser than our atmosphere.
Radon is also present in our river systems and hot and cold water springs, but it is also present in our soil. Scientists have discovered by studying soil samples around the world, that they can make predictions of earthquakes due to the content level of Radon in the area. Geothermal Power stations and Oil Fields have a high content of Radon because they are plants that drill in the ground. When they drill in to the gound it acts like an escape hole for the Radon and high amounts of Radon Gas rushes to the surface. Their drill holes have Radon traps that capture all the Radon and they pump the gas back under ground.
There have been many uses for radon gases through the years. Scientists discovered the gas and its presence in 1900 and have been working on uses of it ever since, such discoveries have led to the invention of the x-ray machine and medical procedures for dealing with arthritis, it has also been used for a treatment of cancer. Radon is a radioactive substance and the radioactive material that is in the gas has a life span of a month where the gas itself if exposed to the elements will only last 3.5 days.
The last study taken had shown that on average 1 in 15 homes in America had Radon levels that exceded the safety standards, 1 in 6 homes in Ireland were exposed to high levels of this gas and in England the figure was 1 in 12. Im sure there are many more across the globe but these are the only figures I could find…
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10 Responses to “Radon Gas: The Silent Killer”
On March 22, 2009 at 7:09 am
Stephen this time u wrote bout gases. U have the skill of writing on diverse topics
On March 22, 2009 at 10:44 am
Nice touch including the map. I was relieved to note that I live in a blue area; however, it makes me wonder why certain places are red. It is not a matter of population centers, because L.A. is all blue.
On March 22, 2009 at 6:11 pm
Curious isn’t it, how the Radon distribution levels follow exactly along international borders nationwide, huh? *smile* Must be that the reporting agency involved with this works or supp0lies data for Al Gore, -thus it is permitted to not let an inconvenient truth ruin an otherwise clever hypothesis.
While true that Radon is ‘a gas that occurs naturally’, calling it “natural gas” is misleading as “natural gas” is the vernacular for methane gas. I had to read this a time or two to get the point.
But Radon in the home is a serious matter. There are Radon detectors for the home, I believe. Homes that are most likely affected are homes that has a ‘below ground-level’ dwelling or edifice. -A basement or cellar. This includes high-rise buildings, as the trapped Radon gas can permeate upwards through the walls and ventilation pathways.
Homes in south Florida for example, probably have like zero incidence of Radon as the watertable is about 3-feet below ground-level. -No basements in homes!
The best ‘cure’ for Radon is to have a ventilated basement that discharges air to the outside. This can be nothing more than a 1-inch diameter flue system (like a screened PVC pipe) that has a small fan on it to discharge the incumbent atmosphere. This prevents the accumulation of dangerous levels of Radon in the air. A ‘passive’ ventilation is okay (’no fan involved’) but a fan-driven system is best and recommended for homes verified to have a Radon problem.
Nice article.
-thestickman
On March 22, 2009 at 8:11 pm
you got a typo in the title and permalink lolz.
On March 22, 2009 at 8:44 pm
an informative article..
On March 22, 2009 at 10:58 pm
very informative piece…
On March 23, 2009 at 4:51 am
Very informative. Thanks for the alert. I learn something from you article.
On March 23, 2009 at 10:45 am
The fact that you have some writing problems in this article and some of the information may have been taken and doctored as one of your commentors expressed, does not take away the importance of submitting this kind of information for others to read and to be aware. Great information even if some of your facts are arguable.
On March 25, 2009 at 8:18 am
Very interesting!
On March 2, 2010 at 8:59 am
Thanks for the Informative and interesting piece.
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