Sorry we missed a blog last week – we were in Europe meeting with some of our European coworkers for Radonova’s 2018 Kickoff in Berlin. It was a great week filled with educational sessions, sightseeing, a lot of history, team-building, and spending some quality time with many of our global colleagues.
Take a look at some of the photos our US team captured throughout the fun-filled week.
See More Pics Here!
Created in 2013, the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) in British Columbia, is a first of its kind Indigenous-led health service delivery organization that works closely with federal and provincial partners to integrate health programs for “healthy, self-determining, and vibrant BC First Nations children, families, and communities.” With radon awareness steadily growing in British Columbia, FNHA decided to begin testing on-reserve homes and has completed the second phase of a residential radon monitoring project to gather data and create awareness within its reserve communities. Currently there is little information available about the impact of radon on health for on-reserve populations but many high radon risk factors are present in the communities including poorer housing conditions.
400 test kits were deployed through this program with over half being deployed directly in FNHA’s Interior Region. Utilizing Radonova’s proprietary RadOnline customer web portal (radonova.com/mypages), the project team achieved an astounding 92% response rate. Reported results indicate that over 10% of the homes tested have elevated radon levels above Health Canada’s guideline of 200 Bq/m³.
This testing project was conducted with assistance from the Public Health Agency of Canada through the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health, with significant outreach performed by the Interior Health Authority’s Environmental Health Officer, Greg Baytalan, and truly made possible by the contributions of the First Nations communities and staff.
Read the First Nations Report Here
Many homes have basement areas. Whether finished or not there is always a potential for radon to enter your home through the basement. Not all homes will have every radon entry point shown, but the image shows the most common ones. Any one of these entry points could contribute to a high radon gas level in the home.
Testing for radon is the only way to know if your home has high levels of dangerous radon gas, a class A carcinogen that causes lung cancer.
Test Your Home Today!
In 2016, Rachael Drazan-Malmberg woke up with pain in her ribs. She initially attributed the pain to working out, however after the pain persisted she sought medical attention.
What she believed “wasn’t going to be anything” revealed a diagnosis of lung cancer that had even already spread to her brain. After the doctors told her the cancer was unusual and caused by a genetic mutation versus being inherited, Rachael and her husband tested their home for radon gas. Immediately they installed a mitigation system and their situation prompted 3 of their neighbors to test and mitigate as well, after finding high levels of radon gas.
Not sparing any time, Rachael had the doctors “pull the goalie” and attack the cancer with everything they had. After hours and hours of radiation treatment the tumor in her lung was small enough to be removed. Then, with the help of additional medications, she was able to eliminate her brain tumor as well.
Just two years after her diagnosis, Rachael was able to compete in the 2018 Olympics and help the Team USA Women’s Hockey Team take home the gold medal.
Read the Full Article Here!
In the first decade of the 20th century, scientists developed a way to mix radium 226 with paint to created ‘radioluminescent paint’. Everyone was fascinated by this discovery leading to the application of the paint to clocks, telephones, and even airplane instrumentation panels, enabling the devices to be seen in the dark.
However the new found idea was not without its issues, and by 1925 a group of radium painters, later referred to as the Radium Girls, sued their employer over health issues believed to be stemming from the ingestion of radium through a practice called ‘pointing’ their brushes. Simply put they would lick the ends of the brushes to refine the bristles into a point, subsequently ingesting radium remnants from the brush. As a result, by 1930 ‘pointing’ brushes was no longer done by mouth and incidences of malignancy due to radium was down to zero by 1950. This lead most people to believe that radium was not an issue, unless of course you consumed it.
Fast forward 60 years – researchers from the University of Northampton understand that radium decays into radon gas, so could “vintage” clocks, watches, phones, etc., previously coated in radium paint influence radon gas levels as the radium naturally decays?
The study was performed in a small bedroom and consisted of measuring the radon gas level for a baseline, then adding 30 radium dial watches to the room to see how much the radon level would change, if at all. Upon retesting it was discovered that the room’s radon level rose to 134 times the EPA recommended action level.
In the first of its kind study, this new data indicates a previously unconsidered risk to owning, collecting, and storing radium dial watches or other items that were typically coated in radium-infused paint.
Read the Original Article Here
Link to University of Northampton's Report
Anne-Marie Nicol, a public health researcher and associate professor at Simon Fraser University is creating awareness to get residents of British Columbia testing their homes for radon gas.
Radon gas is “the worst thing you’ve never heard of” says Nicol, but “nobody’s talking about it. How are people supposed to know?” Residents of the North Shore in cities like North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Whistler, Pemberton, Squamish, the Sunshine Coast and the Gulf Islands are encouraged to test as previous reported radon test performed in and around these areas have often times indicated radon gas levels 5 times Canada’s guideline for indoor radon (200 bq/m³).
Projects currently underway spearheaded by Anne-Marie are aimed at gathering more data from potential at-risk areas and at changing public complacency to a serious health risk.
Additional Information About the Study and the Full Article Can Be Read Here!
When researching for potential radon measurement specialists to perform a radon test on your home of workplace, or for mitigation contractors to install a radon mitigation system, where should you begin? Roughly 30 years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certified individuals who had gone through specific training and courses on radon and listed them as “EPA RPP Certified” radon professionals. Several years later the EPA decided to eliminate their national certification program and direct individual states to create radon programs that would mandate who could test and/or mitigate for radon. Regrettably many states currently do not have a radon program or certifying body to inform residents who can perform a radon testing or radon mitigation within their state. A quick search online of your state and/or their health department radon program will let you know if your state has any radon certification program.
However, we want to focus on the states that currently do not manage a state radon program. How can residents in these states find professional and knowledgeable companies? What are the different certifications? Where can I find someone to test/mitigate my home?
Two major national certification programs fulfill this need. They are are the National Radon Safety Board (NRSB) and the AARST National Radon Proficiency Program (AARST NRPP). Both of these organizations certify radon measurement specialists and mitigation contractors and/or radon laboratories and testing devices. On either of these websites you can search for professionals by state and filter by city or zip code to find certified individuals near your home that offer radon services.
A few things to remember:
This interesting graphic compares the EPA mortality rates of radon-induced lung cancer to some other well known cancers as documented in the National Cancer Institute’s SEER Report. While radon induced lung cancer accounts for only 14% of total lung cancer deaths, this is still a significant number of deaths as the graphic shows.
Radon Gas is directly responsible for more cancer deaths than many common cancer types. Sadly, unlike most other cancers, the source and cause of radon induced lung cancer is easily avoidable. Lung cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of all cancers.
Testing your home for radon gas is easy to do, inexpensive, and just might save a life.
Test. Fix. Save a Life.
Order a quickscreen (AC) 2-4 day test here! *fastest*
Order a Rapidos 10-30 day test here!*more reliable*
Order a Radtrak² 90+ day test here! *most accurate*
For this article and others from the EPA about the health risks of radon:
Visit the EPA's Heath Risk WebsiteCongratulations to the winners of the Illinois Poster Contest for Radon Awareness. The American Lung Association in Illinois holds the contest every year with help from the U.S. EPA and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to help spread the awareness of radon gas. Check out the winning posters below, and don’t forget to test your home today for radon gas!
1st Place: Lucy C. from Evanston, IL
2nd Place: Kimberly G. from Arenzville, IL
3rd Place: Lila M. from Vienna, IL
After moving into a new home in Casselton, North Dakota, Judith Antoine began suffering from poor health. Shortly after receiving a chest X-ray, Judith was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, scarring of the lungs. With only a small piece of her lungs working, Judith passed away in November of 2017.
Having given up smoking nearly 30 years prior to her death, her children wanted to know how and why she developed pulmonary fibrosis. Judith’s son Andrew suspected a form of environmental exposure and decided to perform a radon test on the home. When the results of the test were 234 pCi/l, 58 times the recommended indoor level, Andrew “…about fell over” .
Judith’s family is convinced that chronic exposure to radon killed their mother. Dr. Brent Hella, Judiths’s physician, agrees and even went as far as to list her cause of death as pulmonary fibrosis as a consequence of “radon toxicity”. It is believed this is the first classification of radon toxicity on a death certificate in the state of North Dakota.
During the process of decaying, alpha particles containing 2 protons and 2 neutrons are released from the atomic nucleus of a radon atom. This particle leaves the nucleus at a blazing 15,000,000 meters per second, or about 5% the speed of light. Due to the particles mass, electric charge, and relatively low velocity, alpha particles are favorites to interact with other atoms and loose their energy pretty quick. Their forward motion can typically be halted within a few centimeters of normal air, as the embedded video shows.
This decay process will occur inside of our detectors. When the alpha particles are released from a radon atom, they collide inside with a CR39 chip and leave a ‘track’ (see images below). These tracks are then chemically etched, counted, and calculated using a custom algorithm to determine the total radon dose collected by the detector.
Tracks on CR39 chips as seen through a microscope.
Trinity College Dublin performed an indoor radon assessment on 32,000 residences and took a different approach with the findings. Instead of mapping areas based on radon concentration levels, they devised a map indicating ‘Radon Priority Areas’ based on the adverse health effects of radon. The color coding on the map relates to a number of lung cancer cases estimated for a specific area, based on area population and indoor radon levels.
Based on the assessment of homes in Ireland, areas within counties Dublin, Meath, Kildare, Wicklow, Wexford, Kilkenny, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Clare and Galway are at risk for elevated levels of radon gas. Currently the EU uses the World Health Organization’s action level of 200 Bq/m³, and although some homes tested much higher and lower, typically the results ranged from 21 to 338 Bq/m³.
Approximately 280 of the 2,300 yearly lung cancer cases in Ireland are related to indoor radon exposure. That means indoor radon exposure accounts for over 12% of the most deadly types of cancer cases, lung cancer.
Read the Full Article Here
Lung size? Respiratory Rates? Proximity to the ground?
A lot of factors may contribute to the exposure children receive from radon gas versus adults. While basements make a great play area for kids, radon is a heavier gas that tends to accumulate in basements and or at the ground floor level. Many home daycare providers tend to convert basements to ‘classroom’ areas where kids learn and play, while daycare centers are usually 1 level ground floor buildings.
This article from the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health talks about radon exposures and the correlation to children developing lung cancer. Mentioned in the discussion was that “if a child lived in a home with very high radon concentrations for only a few years, the risk of developing lung cancer later in life could be equivalent to a lifetime exposure to moderate radon concentration”.
Read the Article Here!If you would like to test your home or home daycare you can visit these links!
Choosing the right test for your home requires a little basic knowledge. Why you are performing the test and how long you want to test are important factors to be considered. Shorter tests offer a quicker result while longer tests are more accurate and reliable, and sometimes a combination of the two is your best option.
Visit Our Shop to Purchase the Right Test Today!This video should help you decide which test is right for you!
Addressing radon gas in real estate transactions has become quite common. In fact, most states require the disclosure of elevated radon levels during the transaction, as radon is recognized as a health risk. Tests are usually performed, and sellers will take corrective action to fix a high radon level.
But what of the risk to renters? Are rental homes somehow impervious to the entry of deadly radon gas?
The reality is the carcinogenic radon gas emanating into the home from decomposing uranium in the soil underneath it shows no discretion to whether the occupants own the property or rent it. The homes of renters are just as at risk as those of owners, yet renters rarely have protections in place as buyers do. Currently only 4 states require a landlord to even disclose to a renter if there are known high radon levels in the home for rent, let alone do anything about it. In the recent case of a Nebraska renter, multiple high radon levels were reported to the landlord, and the renter could not force the landlord to take corrective action.
So what to do? Take the initiative. Ask about radon levels when negotiating your lease or renewal. Has the property been tested for radon? If yes, when? What were the results? If no, or not for several years, decide who is going to test the property for radon now, and what will be done if elevated levels are found.
Radon is too dangerous to ignore, regardless of whether you own or rent your home. Test your home for radon today.
Link to original article here.
One of the most asked questions is how does Radonova’s Rapidos® alpha track detector compare to other traditional short-term radon tests. While there are numerous differences such as materials used, collection methods, environmental vulnerabilities, one HUGE difference is the reliability of the result you are getting.
Radon can fluctuate significantly during the measurement period. Typically, short-term radon tests are performed for 48 hours. In this short period you run the risk of performing the test during a peak or valley in radon levels which can produce false high or low results. With the 10+ day exposure period capability of the Rapidos® your measurement will have a far better sampling and a true integrated average that is more representative of your actual radon level. This can help eliminate potentially mitigating for radon when false high levels are reported, or worse – not fixing, and living with dangerously high radon levels because a false low was reported.
The Rapidos® is the ideal short term measurement device; efficient, accurate, and easy to use.
