Radon is a fascinating element, for example it is a radioactive gas that is stored under houses. Here are some Radon fun facts:
- Radon gas is the 2nd leading cause of lung cancer in North America
- Twenty-two thousand people die from lung cancer each year in the United States from exposure to indoor radon
- Living in a radon gas filled home with 4 pCi/L over 12 years is like smoking 10 packs of cigarettes per day or working for 5 years in a uranium mine
- The EPA estimates that 1 out of every 15 homes have elevated levels of radon gas
- Two thirds of US homes exceed the outdoor average level of 0.4 pCi/L
- Radon is the heaviest known gas and is 9 times heavier than air
- In the average basement, 38 million radon gas atoms will undergo radioactive decay every hour
- The half-life of uranium is 4.5 billion years