WHAT IS RADON?
RADON is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, radioactive gas that comes from uranium and radium in the ground. All leading health organizations consider radon a health hazard due to its radioactivity. It is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, radon kills approximately 21,000 people every year in the United States.
Radon is formed as uranium and other radioactive elements slowly decay. Thorium and uranium are the two most common radioactive elements on earth, and they have been on Earth since it formed 4.6 billion years ago. As radon atoms decays, they becomes new radioactive elements called radon decay products (RDPs). Although radon is a gas, the elements it becomes when it decays are solids. Those solid, radioactive elements stick to surfaces, such as dust and smoke particles in the air. If contaminated dust and smoke is inhaled, the radioactive atoms can stick to the airways of the lungs and increase the risk of developing lung cancer.
Radon is dangerous because parts of its nucleus spontaneously break off. That is what it means to be "radioactive". A radioactive element has an unstable nucleus, and small pieces of the nucleus spontaneously break off, resulting in a more stable element. The spontaneous emission of a chunk of nucleus is called "radioactive decay". A radioactive atom will continue to decay until its nucleus becomes stable.
There are two different chunks that break off of a radioactive atom's nucleus. The largest chunk is called an alpha particle. The smaller chunk is called a beta particle. At the same time alpha and beta particles are emitted, extremely high-energy gamma rays are also released from the nucleus. Alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays all cause cancer, and are known as "radiation".
The video below allows us to "see" the alpha particles and beta particles released by radon and other radioactive elements. (We are actually seeing the vapor trail created by the alpha and beta particles; we don’t actually see the particles themselves.)
“Indoor radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and breathing it over prolonged periods can present a significant health risk to families all over the country. It’s important to know that this threat is completely preventable. Radon can be detected with a simple test and fixed through well-established venting techniques.”