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EHS-ALASKA,INC. NOTES ON RADON IN ALASKA Found all over the U.S., radon is an invisible, odorless, naturally occurring radioactive gas that comes from the decay of uranium in soil, rock, and groundwater. Radon can be inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin. Radon is a known human lung carcinogen and is the largest single source of radiation exposure and risk to the general public. Radon is inhaled with air. Most inhaled radon is rapidly exhaled, but the inhaled radon decay is deposited in the lungs, where they irradiate sensitive cells in the airways and increase the risk of lung cancer. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that radon causes between 15,000 and 22,000 lung cancer deaths each year. Smoking combined with radon is an especially serious health risk. Currently, there is no conclusive data on whether children are at greater risk than adults from exposure to radon. Even small exposures to radon can result in lung cancer and no evidence exists that shows a threshold of exposure below which radon levels are harmless. Major health organizations (like the World Health Organization, EPA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Lung Association and the American Medical Association) agree with estimates that radon causes thousands of preventable lung cancer deaths every year. This is especially true among smokers, since the risk to smokers is much greater than to non-smokers. Is Radon a Concern in Alaska? Four factors must exist in a structure’s location for it to be a radon ‘risk’. In 1988/1989 the EPA and State of Alaska conducted radon surveys throughout Alaska. Nine percent (9%) of the 1,312 homes surveyed were found to contain radon concentrations greater that 4 picoCuries per liter of air (pCi/L) and three percent (3%) of the houses were 10 pCi/L or greater. The EPA has adopted a 4 pCi/L action level, which means that mitigation of the structure should occur when levels are 4 pCi/L or higher. However, keep in mind that radon levels below 4 pCi/L may still pose some risk and that radon levels can be reduced in some structures to 2 pCi/L or below. Radon isn’t only a concern to homeowners. The EPA also recommends that schools be tested for radon. A nationwide survey of radon levels in schools estimates that nearly one in five has at least one schoolroom with a short-term radon level above the action level of 4 pCi/L - the level at which EPA recommends that schools take action to reduce the level. The EPA estimates that more than seventy thousand (70,000) schoolrooms in use today have short-term radon levels. In 1990 EHS-Alaska surveyed 22 Alaska Southcentral schools, 7 of which showed short-term results that were greater than 2 pCi/L. Four of the seven schools had radon levels greater than 4 pCi/L. The average indoor radon level is estimated to be about 1.3 pCi/L. The level of radon normally found in the outside air is 0.4 pCi/L. The U.S. Congress has set a long term goal that indoor radon levels be no more than outdoor levels. Is Radon a Concern in Your Home? Interesting Radon Facts Is radon used for any purpose? How is radon measured? For further information visit www.epa.gov/radon. Call EHS-Alaska for radon gas testing. You
can reach EHS-Alaska at (907) 694-1383,
1-800-340-3022, or at ehsak@ehs-alaska.com. We
look forward to hearing from you. ENGINEERING FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY IN ALASKA WORK ENVIRONMENTS Archived
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