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Thursday, January 7, 2021

Radon at home

Exposure to radon has been a major health hazard in uranium mines. Radiological safety aspects of the mine workers are adequately addressed in ICRP/IAEA/WHO documents. The issues are discussed in detail in the reference book on Radiological Protection and Safety - A Practitioner’s Guide.

Radon is also found airborne in homes, particularly in dwellings of cold countries, like United States and Canada where the air in the dwellings and work areas is recirculated.

Radon comes from the radioactive decay of natural of uranium/radium present in trace quantities in bricks, soil, rock, and water. Being gaseous, it gets into the air you breathe. Basement areas are more radon prone due to exhalation of radon from the floor and walls. Radon typically moves up through the basement/ground to the air above and into your living areas through cracks and other cavities in the foundation. There is a guide “Home Buyers and Sellers Guide to Radon” by US EPA (www.epa.gov) which covers all the radon related issues.