Not everything related to radon gas — and its associated dangers — is about doom and gloom. Two second-year students from Ireland have earned a trip to the States to participate alongside other skilled, and young scientists because of their work with radon.
Young Scientists Earn Trip to US for Work with Radon
Image by Niall Murray, Irish Examiner Education Correspondent
Shauna Murphy and Caoimhe Cronin — students of St Mary’s Secondary School in Mallow, County Cork, Ireland — were interested in the dangers of radon gas and so began their work with it. They tested over 40 local homes, and investigated the presence of radon gas in the water supply and soil outdoors.
Their inspiration came from the fact that their hometown Mallow, has some of the world’s highest recorded radon gas levels. Being that radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer the world over, they were intrigued.
They entered their work in January’s BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition. Their work and subsequent findings were enough to earn them the Intel Student of Excellence Award, offered for projects in various sections of the event including physics, chemistry and math.
Murphy and Caoimhe found during their studies that high radon levels in the ground and soil outside further indicated elevated levels inside nearby homes. It’s particurly interesting because it works to prove that the gas can seep inside homes from the ground underneath, turning the air hazardous.
Why the Young Scientists Chose to Work with Radon
Caoimhe said that she and her partner intend “to raise awareness locally because people in Mallow don’t all know about the problem.” However, that’s not just true of her hometown in Ireland it’s true of everyone, everywhere. The select few that do know about radon often dismiss it as irrelevant to them, their home and their family. Radon gas is a significant problem everywhere, not just the US and Ireland. It’s also an issue in countries like Canada, UK, China, Russia and many more.
Murphy and Caoimhe will be traveling alongside their science teacher Martin Timmons in May to Pittsburgh, to compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Of course, the duo plans to do more testing and studies related to radon before the big trip. They want to bring more information along with them.
What the Two Young Scientists Discovered about Radon
During their study, the girls discovered that nearly two-thirds of homes tested had elevated levels of the deadly gas, in addition to six of the eight rooms at their school. Interestingly enough, their school had a radon barrier installed as part of a renovation over ten years ago.
“There were also radon pumps put in, and the levels went down. But the levels are very high again in some rooms, and we found this could be linked to ventilation,” said Shauna.
As a result, the girls believe that mitigation can be successful, provided proper ventilation procedures are put in place. What this means in the grand scheme, is that these girls could directly influence how professionals install mitigation equipment and radon pumps in the future. Depending on what they find during their studies, it may influence how radon gas is dealt with from now on.
As we have been saying constantly, both girls suggest that homeowners test their homes for the presence of radon to find out whether or not it’s a problem.
We’ll have more on their findings and progress at the fair as soon as May rolls around. For now, we’d like to extend a formal congratulations to miss Shauna Murphy and Caoimhe Cronin for their excellent work. Good job ladies, and good luck at the fair in May!
Via: Irish Examiner
