Radon Health Facts

RADON O AND YOU Radon is an odorless, colorless, tasteless radioactive gas that forms from the decay of radioactive elements, such as uranium, in rocks and soil throughout the world. Scientists and doctors have proven that it causes cancer. In fact, the Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is especially high. 30,000 21,000 Deaths 17,400 per year 8,000 10,000 3,900 2,800 RADON Drunk Falls In Drownings Home Driving the Home Fires Radon is estimated to cause about 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year, according to EPA's 2003 Assessment of Risks from Radon in Homes (EPA 402-R-03-003). The numbers of deaths from other causes are taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2005-2006 National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Report and 2006 National Safety Council Reports COUNCIL $2 BILLION DOLLARS Radon-induced lung cancer costs the United States over $2 billion dollars per year in both direct and indirect health care costs. (Based on National Cancer Institute statistics of 14,400 annual radon lung cancer deaths - Oster, Colditz& Kelley, 1984) 15% About 15 percent of homes in the U.S. have radon levels above the 4.0 pCi/L, the level at which the EPA recommends fixing your home. Nearly 1 out of every 15 homes in the U.S. is estimated to have elevated radon levels. A family whose home has radon levels of 4 pCi/l is exposed to approximately 35 times as much radiation as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would allow if that family was standing next to the fence of a radioactive waste site. (25 mrem limit, 800 mrem exposure) An elementary school student that spends 8 hours per day and 180 days per year in a classroom with 4 pCi/l of radon will receive nearly 10 times as much radiation as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission allows at the edge of a nuclear power plant. (25 mrem limit, 200 mrem exposure) Most U.S. EPA lifetime safety standards for carcinogens are established based on a 1 in 100,000 risk of death. But most scientists agree that the risk of death for radon at 4 pCi/l is approximately 1 in 100. At the 4 pCi/l EPA action guideline level, radon carries approximately 1000 times the risk of death as any other EPA carcinogen. It is important to note that the action level is not a safe level, as there are no "safe" levels of radon gas. Brought to you by Sani-Tred which blocks 99% of Radon from entering foundations learn more at www.sanitred.com Source: EPA- A Citizen's Guide to Radon http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html SAFETY