Why is radon so bad for you?
2007-11-26 13:31:16 · 7 answers · asked by Rando B 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
Radon is a radioactive noble gas that is formed by the decay of radium. It is one of the heaviest gases and is considered to be a health hazard.
The general effects of radon to the human body are caused by its radioactivity and consequent risk of radiation-induced cancer. As an inert gas, radon has a low solubility in body fluids which lead to a uniform distribution of the gas throughout the body.Radon gas and its solid decay products are carcinogens. The greatest health risks come from exposure to the inhaled solid radon gas decay products that are produced during the radioactive decay of radon gas. Two of these decay products, polonium-218 and 214, present a significant radiologic hazard.Once the radioactive decay products are inhaled into the lung, they undergo further radioactive decay, releasing small bursts of energy in the form of alpha particles that can either cause DNA breaks or create free radicals.
Based on studies carried out by the National Academy of Sciences in the United States, radon is the second most common cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking, accounting for 15,000 to 22,000 cancer deaths per year in the U.S. The Surgeon General of the United States has reported that over 20,000 Americans die each year of radon-related lung cancer. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends homes be fixed if an occupant's long-term exposure will average 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) (148 Bq m−3) or higher. The most elaborate case-control epidemiologic radon study performed by R. William Field and colleagues demonstrated a 50% increased lung cancer risk with prolonged radon exposure at the EPA's action level of 4 pCi/L. Iowa has the highest average radon concentrations in the nation and a very stable population which added to the strength of the study. Pooled epidemiologic radon studies have also shown an increased lung cancer risk from radon below the EPA's action level of 4 pCi/L.
It is unknown whether radon causes other types of cancer, but recent studies suggest a need for further studies to assess the relationship between radon and leukemia.
2007-11-26 13:43:45 · answer #1 · answered by lizbelle_28 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Radon is a radioactive gas which means this gas gives off bursts of energy which we can’t feel, but when they hit our bodies, they are harmful. When our bodies are hit by too much radioactive energy, we can develop serious diseases such as cancer.
Because radon is part of the air we breathe, it is taken into our lungs. Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, with only smoking cigarettes being worse.
2007-11-26 13:35:07 · answer #2 · answered by bh 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
truly does matter on the place you reside. yet any raised floor with air flow below wouldn't have a mission interior the homestead. A Radon try is reasonably low fee, and is needed in some factors the place it truly is general to be conventional. Arizona, Nevada Utah or Colorado i might definetly have one. Radon is a decay made of Uranium and those States are the place the main is stumbled on. yet there are others.
2016-12-30 04:58:41 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because it is a radioactive gas. A person breathes it in with the air, and it decays inside the lungs.
2007-11-26 13:34:50 · answer #4 · answered by steve_geo1 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is the No. 2 cause of lung cancer after smoking cigarettes.
Is that bad enough?
2007-11-26 13:52:16 · answer #5 · answered by Tom K 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you talking about Rayden from Mortal Combat?? I'm so confused...
2007-11-26 13:33:50 · answer #6 · answered by theoriginalwingding 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
it's radio-active.
2007-11-26 13:35:29 · answer #7 · answered by PEACE 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋