You can't see radon. And you can't smell it or taste it. But it may be a problem in your home. Radon comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.
There are low levels of radon outdoors. Indoors, there can be high levels. Radon can enter homes and buildings through cracks in floors, walls or foundations. Radon can also be in your water, especially well water. Testing is the only way to know if your home has elevated radon levels. It is inexpensive and easy. You can buy a test kit at most hardware stores or hire someone to do a test. Radon reduction systems can bring the amount of radon down to a safe level. The cost depends on the size and design of your home.
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Citizen's Guide to Radon: The Guide to Protecting Yourself and Your Family from Radon(Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor Environments Division) - http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.epa.gov/radon/pdfs/citizensguide_sp.pdf
- Radon(American Lung Association) - http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=35395
- What Is Radon?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_1_3x_Radon.asp?
- Consumer's Guide to Radon Reduction(Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor Environments Division) - http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/consguid.html
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Home Buyer's and Seller's Guide to Radon(Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor Environments Division) - http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/hmbyguid.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/hmbyguidsp.html
- Radon-Resistant New Construction (RRNC)(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/radon/construc.html
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Radon and Cancer
(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/radon
- Radon Health Risks(Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor Environments Division) - http://www.epa.gov/radon/healthrisks.html
- Radon in Drinking Water(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/radon/rnwater.html
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Tox Town(National Library of Medicine) - http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/espanol/
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TOXNET Databases(National Library of Medicine) - Databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, and related areas - http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/
- EPA Map of Radon Zones(Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor Environments Division) - http://www.epa.gov/radon/zonemap.html
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: The range of the bystander effect signal in three-dimensional tissue... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19267565&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Radon exposure and mortality among white and American Indian uranium... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19208723&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Health effects of radon: a review of the literature. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19205985&tool=MedlinePlus
- Radon -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=radon[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Radon Hotlines and Information Resources(Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor Environments Division) - http://www.epa.gov/radon/rnxlines.html
- Where You Live: State and Regional Indoor Environments Contact Information(Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor Environments Division) - http://www.epa.gov/iaq/contacts.html
- Who Can Test or Fix Radon in Your Home?(Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor Environments Division) - http://www.epa.gov/radon/radontest.html
- Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air and Radiation - http://www.epa.gov/oar/
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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/community/espanol/
- Learning about Radon: A Part of Nature(Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor Environments Division) - Large PDF file - http://www.epa.gov/radon/pdfs/learning_about_radon.pdf
- Lung Cancer - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/lungcancer.html
- Radiation Exposure - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/radiationexposure.html
- Poisoning, Toxicology, Environmental Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/poisoningtoxicologyenvironmentalhealth.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Radon is the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/