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It can’t be seen and has no smell. Its “progeny” can damage tissue and cause lung cancer. Many homes, including those in southwest Virginia, may be harboring this gas, thought to be the major single source of natural radiation exposure to the public.
It’s radon, a gas which is released from the earth when uranium, a radioactive metal, breaks down. Because radon is inert — it doesn’t readily react chemically with other elements — it passes easily through materials, and seeps into houses through cracks and pores in concrete floor slabs and foundation walls.
Because it’s radioactive, radon decays at a constant rate into other chemical elements. These radioactive products or “progeny” latch on to tiny dust specks in the air. When inhaled, they may get lodged in the ; lungs where they release small bursts of energy which can destroy 1 tissue.
Of the total of about 130,000 estimated lung cancer deaths a year in ■ the United States, scientists figure that 5,000 to 20,000 deaths (four to 15 per cent) may be due to radon. The risk of developing lung cancer increases as radon concentrations and the period of exposure in* creases.
88.3%