Radon Gas Hazard in Utah

Steven LizotteGEOG 1700

Fall 2013

Radiation symbol: Nicholas Raymond, http://www.flickr.com/photos/80497449@N04/8677736772/

What is Radon Gas?

A radioactive Gas

Odorless, colorless, and tasteless

The second leading cause of lung and bronchus cancer

Radon gas is a killer

Radiation symbol: Nicholas Raymond, http://www.flickr.com/photos/80497449@N04/8677736772

New Jewish Cemetery, Brzesko, Poland

Utah DEQ, DRC

Where Does Radon Come From?

• The natural radioactive decay of Uranium and other heavy elements (such as Vanadium) in the soil

• Radon is found everywhere in the United States• You get exposed to radon daily, but in

concentrations that are well below dangerous (but not risk free) levels – except at home, work, or in any building

How does radon get in?

• Through cracks in the foundation• Around plumbing and electrical lines• Through water when wells contain high levels

of radon gas

US EPAhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basement

What level of radon is safe?

• Radon is measured in picoCurries per liter of air (pCi/L)

• The level or radon in outside air is 0.4 pCi/L on average

• The average indoor level is 1.3 pCiL• Mitigation should occur when levels exceed 2

pCi/L and MUST occur when over 4 pCi/L• THERE IS NO “SAFE” LEVEL in the home or

workplace.

How do I measure radon levels?

• There are a two test types, short term and long term

• Short term tests are less definitive and run from a few days to a few months.

• Long term tests are more definitive and take 6 months or more

• Since any level of radon be dangerous, either test is effective.

Wikimedia Foundation

What hazard does Radon Pose in Utah?

What are the cancer risks in Utah?

What should I know about radon?

• Mitigation should occur when levels exceed 2 pCi/L

• THERE IS NO “SAFE” LEVEL in the home or workplace.

• Smoking plus radon levels over 2 pCi/L magnify your risk of cancer several fold (4 times greater than dying from poison)

+ =Ottone, 2008 Wikimedia Foundation Wikimedia Foundation

For more information visit:

• Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Radiation Control,

http://www.radon.utah.gov/

• Environmental Protection Agency, http://www.epa.gov/radon/index.html

Sources and References• Ottone, V. (2008, November 20). Portrait #71 - Camélia [Photograph].

Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/saneboy/3050003040 • US Environmental Protection Agency. (2013, January 10). A citizen's guide

to radon. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html• Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Radiation Control.

(2013, October 13). Radon program: Frequently asked questions. Retrieved from http://www.radon.utah.gov/radonfaqs.htm

• Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Radiation Control. (2013, July 10). Short term radon test results by county and zip code. Retrieved from http://www.radon.utah.gov/docs/2013/Mar/RadonShortTerm2013version3.pdf

• Maps created by Steven Lizotte, http://stevenlizotte.wordpress.com/