Naked Science Forum
General Science => General Science => Topic started by: yapimop on 23/09/2022 22:02:13
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I had been asked if I would like to take part in a Radon Gas experiment, and today received two little discs to place one in the living room and the other in the bedroom for three months.
Apparently, Cornwall has the highest record of Radon Gas, and although I had heard of tests, etc I really didn't take any notice until I received this request.
radon test (https://www.radontestkit.org/store/p1/short-term-radon-test-kit)
It states it can cause lung cancer and it apparently comes up through cracks in the floorboards etc, and Cornwall is rife with it because of all the granite and rocks in the County.
Does anyone else live in a Radon Gas area? are they going over the top, it certainly is scary to think this invisible gas is being breathed into the home.
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The real problem comes with poor ventilation which allows the concentration of gas to build up and long term exposure can increase lung cancer risk.
There is info here along with details of official test kits and how to decide whether you need to increase ventilation.
https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/environment/environmental-protection/radon/
PS I don’t think you should be buying a kit from the link you have been sent. Contact your local council
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Most of Cornwall is indeed a "radon affected" area. Radon gas seeps out of the ground, particularly from granite subsoil, and accumulates in basements and unventilated ground floor rooms. It is chemically inert but is radioactive and its decay products are chemically active and mostly alpha-emitters, so can accumulate in and damage the lungs.
Workplace monitoring and remediation (by fitting an impermeable membrane and ventilating affected spaces) is mandatory in most of Cornwall, and testing of older houses is strongly advised.
ukradon.org (UK Health Security Agency) has a free interactive map that shows radon risk by postcode. If your property is not in a "white" (negligible risk) 1 km square area you should request an address search that narrows it down to 25 m squares, and if that shows a non-negligible risk, it is definitely worth getting a survey done - ukradon can supply the monitors and has a reliable rapid turnround of results. They also have lists of approved remediation contractors.
It's an annoyance but permanently fixable and pretty much essential if you want to sell a property in an affected area.
That said, don't panic! The problem is well known and life expectancy in Cornwall is not significantly different from the England average, but miners and smokers are certainly at higher risk of lung cancer in radon-affected areas. Life evolved on this radioactive planet so we are naturally resilient to small quantities of ionising radiation.
For what it's worth, colleagues measured occupational radiation doses for numbers of hospital staff some years ago and were amazed to discover that the "control" group, accountants, received more radiation dose than radiographers. The cause was traced to radon escaping from a geological fault under the finance office.
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It's worth noting that radioactivity is interesting and unique as a phenomenon.
It fairly easily lets you detect single atoms of material.
So the measurement and detection of radon is spectacularly sensitive.
Since you can measure it at extremely low levels, it's easy to be concerned because "you know it's there".
But that doesn't mean it's a significant risk.
The cliche about "more likely to be struck by lightning" would be appropriate for very low (but still easily detectable)levels of radon.
Alan's advice- essentially, "find out if it's a problem, and if it is, then fix it" is very sound.