Radon
(A Citizen's Guide to Radon)

The Guide to Protecting Yourself and Your Family From Radon

• Radon Facts*
• EPA Recommendations for Radon
• Overview About Radon
• How Does Radon Get Into Your Home?
• How to Test Your Home for Radon
• Short-term Testing for Radon
• Long-term Testing for Radon
• How to Use a Radon Test Kit
• What Your Test Results Mean
• Radon and Home Sales
• Radon in Water
• How to Lower the Radon Levels in Your Home
• The Risk of Living With Radon
• Radon Risk Charts
• Radon Myths
• For Further Information
• Find a local Doctor in your town

*Radon facts medical author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

• Radon is a radioactive gas that is known to cause cancers.
• Radon causes about 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the U.S.
• Radon is produced from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water.
• Radon is found all over the U.S. It can be detected in any type of building - homes, offices, and schools.
• It is impossible to smell or taste radon.
• Radon enters a home through cracks and other holes in the foundation. It builds up inside buildings.
• Nearly 1 out of every 15 homes in the U.S. is estimated to have elevated radon levels.
• Testing for radon is easy. Both short-term and long-terms testing devices are available.
• It is possible to reduce radon levels in the home if they are found to be elevated.

• Test your home for radon - it's easy and inexpensive.
• Fix your home if your radon level is 4 picocuries per liter, or pCi/L, or higher.
• Radon levels less than 4 pCi/L still pose a risk, and in many cases may be reduced.

Radon is estimated to cause thousands of lung cancer deaths in the U.S. each year.

* 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.

Source: MedicineNet.com
http://www.medicinenet.com/radon_symptoms_poisoning_tests_cancer_causes/article.htm