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Radon Testing
The U.S. Surgeon General, Richard Carmona, Issues New National Health
Advisory on Radon
On January 13, 2005 the Surgeon General of the United States issued a Health
Advisory warning Americans about the health risk from exposure to radon in
indoor air. The Nation’s Chief Physician urged Americans to test their homes and
buildings to
find out how much radon they might be breathing. Dr. Carmona also stressed the
need to remedy the problem as soon as possible when the radon level is 4 pCi/L
or more. Dr. Carmona noted that more than 20,000 Americans die of radon-related
lung cancer each year. You can view the EPA news release and the Surgeon
General's press release
Why not just measure radon?
Measurement devices that measure only radon gas, provide an indication of
potential health risk. However, the primary health risk associated with the
presence of radon gas is due to the solid particles that radon decays into. It
is these radon decay products that actually "stick" in the lungs that cause an
increased potential for lung cancer. Since the amount of radon decay products
available for inhalation can vary with house and atmospheric conditions, a radon
gas measurement alone does not fully characterize the actual health risk present
in a building. This is particularly true in buildings where high air circulation
and the use of air filters can have a large impact of reducing exposure to radon
decay products.
Why not just measure radon decay products?
Since it is the decay products of radon that present the primary health risk
associated with the presence of radon, it is logical that measurement of radon
decay products would be preferable over radon gas measurements. In fact, health
risk studies are based upon either the direct measurement or estimation of radon
decay product levels. Historically, radon decay product measurement devices have
been expensive and required complicated instrumentation, but not anymore! PGL in
combination with distinguished researchers and manufacturers have redeveloped
technologies to make these types of measurements very cost-effective.
Nonetheless, PGL believes that measuring radon decay products alone does not
provide an indication of the potential risk that could occur from a given radon
gas level.
Why measure both radon and radon decay products?
By measuring both radon and radon and radon decay products, one is provided with
a measure of the actual risk (from radon decay products) and the potential risk
(from radon gas). This provides a much more thorough characterization than
either measurement would by itself. More importantly, the use of both
measurements allows one to identify the beneficial effects of air circulation,
particulate air filters and clean indoor air that serve to reduce exposure to
radon decay products, that otherwise would not be detected by a radon gas
measurement alone. This can provide significant economies, especially for
buildings with high air circulation (schools, commercial buildings, homes with
forced air circulation, etc.) and also provide alternative risk reduction
techniques that can serve to improve other indoor air quality concerns.
What if a Radon Decay Product measurement is below
EPA's action level, but the Radon measurement is above EPA's action level?
"The question is often asked: Is radon decay product measurement an acceptable
procedure? The answer to this question is yes. EPA recognizes two testing
procedures. One is the direct measurement of radon decay products and the second
is the measurement of radon gas. Now if all factors are equal, the direct
measurement of radon decay products is the preferable approach and this is
because it provides the most accurate assessment of health risk."
Dr. Milton Lammering, Radiation Program Manager, Region VIII, US EPA (ret.)
Contact Information
For Inspection information or free estimates call or email
Henry Valenzano
- Telephone
- 719-634-1484
- FAX
- 719-635-8223
- Postal address
- 1705 N. Chestnut St. Colorado Springs, Colorado 80907
- Electronic mail
- General Information:
Hank@DCHI.com
Sales: Hank@DCHI.com
Customer Support:
Webmaster:
Webmaster@CertifiedMaster.net
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