Radon causes thousands to millions of deaths. That’s why people should know how to mitigate it. But before you learn some mitigation techniques, it is vital to understand what radon is, how it can enter your home, and what effects it brings to your body. When you read articles about this radioactive gas, you might come across the term radon 222. What is it? Is it the same with radon? Find out all the answers here.
Radon 222: What is It?
Radon, radon 222, or Rn-222 refer to the same thing. Whether you prefer to call it radon 222 or radon, they refer to the colorless and odorless gas produced during the decay of radium-226. It is also a decay product of uranium-238. Since it is made naturally, expect to find it anywhere, especially in soil and water.
Radon 222 has a short half-life which is approximately 3.8 days. It decays into a series of solid particulate products. These products are also known as radon progeny or radon daughters, which have shorter half-lives (∼30 min or less). Although other radon isotopes occur naturally, their health significance is minimal compared to radon 222. This is because of the differences in half-life and dosimetry.
How Does Radon 222 Enter Your Home?
Since radon is a gas, it can quickly enter your home through the building’s cracks and openings. Know that its primary source is the soil and rock beneath a building, from which the gas penetrates indoors. That’s why installing a radon mitigation system is highly recommended, especially in the basement, to reduce radon. But this is preferred if your home is tested for radon and the result shows a consistent high radon level.
Aside from soil, other sources of radon include drain and utility access areas. Not only that, but radon can also come from groundwater, especially in areas with high soil radium content. Since radon comes in many places, you’ll never know if you are exposed to high radon levels unless you conduct radon testing.
If you are living in European countries, radon concentrations range from ∼30 to 140 Bq m−3. Meanwhile, in Russia, radon levels could vary between 19 and 230 Bq m−3. If you are living in the United States, average levels are around 50 Bq m−3.
Radon Mitigation
If you suspect that your home has high radon levels, you can confirm it through radon testing. There are two types of radon testing, short-term and long-term. Short-term radon testing is preferred if you want to identify whether radon 222 is present in your home or not. But if you want to know if the radon level is consistently high, long-term testing is recommended.
In the United States, the highest acceptable level of residential radon is 150 Bq m−. The US EPA has set this. However, 5–10% of homes in the United States exceed this benchmark. If your home has high radon levels, it would be best to contact a radon contractor to mitigate the gas right away.
Exposing yourself to radon will not harm you right away; it is still best to prevent any short-term and long-term effects. Besides, if you haven’t tested your home for radon yet, you’ll never know if you are already exposed to radon 222 for a long time. So make sure to consider radon testing and do the proper mitigation techniques to lower your risks of lung cancer.
