Radon roundup results.Radon radon (rā`dŏn), gaseous radioactive chemical element; symbol Rn; at. no. 86; mass no. of most stable isotope 222; m.p. about −71°C;; b.p. −61.8°C;; density 9.73 grams per liter at STP; valence usually 0. roundup results The federal government has estimated that 20 percent of the homes in the United States have excessive amounts of radon--a radioactive gas that can seep into homes from certain types of rock and soil and, in high concentrations, can cause lung cancer lung cancer, cancer that originates in the tissues of the lungs. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States in both men and women. Like other cancers, lung cancer occurs after repeated insults to the genetic material of the cell. . In an effort to develop a means of predicting what areas might have a radon problem, Douglas G. Mose of George Mason University Named after American revolutionary, patriot and founding father George Mason, the university was founded as a branch of the University of Virginia in 1957 and became an independent institution in 1972. in Fairfax, Va., and his colleagues are studying the relationship between geology and radon levels in Fairfax County and in Montgomery County, Md. The researchers conducted their survey by randomly sending indoor radon detectors and a set of instructions to more than 1,500 homes. They found that homes built over highly sheared sheared adj. Shaped or finished by shearing, especially cut or trimmed to a uniform length: a sheared fur coat. Adj. 1. rock and uranium-rich granites are more prone to having indoor radon concentrations above 4 picocuries per liter, which is the "action level' set by the Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and . Houses overlying overlying suffocation of piglets by the sow. The piglets may be weak from illness or malnutrition, the sow may be clumsy or ill, the pen may be inadequate in size or poorly designed so that piglets cannot escape. low-grade metamorphic rocks, especially the common rocks known as schists, also have high indoor radon counts. The agency recommends that indoor radon should be below the action level. Radon enters houses through sump pump openings, porous building materials and foundation cracks. Its concentrations in a house can depend on the daily weather and the season. Mose found that soil studies could also help pinpoint problem areas. The survey showed that permeable soils with high radon concentrations are highly correlated with excessive indoor radon levels. The survey cross-tested two types of indoor monitors to gauge how each measured the average radon levels in a home. One type, which features activated charcoal Charcoal, Activated Definition Activated charcoal is a fine black odorless and tasteless powder made from wood or other materials that have been exposed to very high temperatures in an airless environment. , is widely used by many state and local testing programs. But Mose found that the charcoal monitors "are extremely poor in thier ability to measure the annual radon level in the home.' These devices can sample only for a three-day period. Alpha-track monitors, which sample for three months, yielded a much more accurate average of the fluctuating radon levels, says Mose. |
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