By What type of pollutant is radon?
Radon is a naturally-occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. Radon gas is inert, colorless and odorless. Radon is naturally in the atmosphere in trace amounts. Outdoors, radon disperses rapidly and, generally, is not a health issue.
Is radon 222 an inert gas?
8.20. 1.1 Historical Perspective. Radon-222, a noble gas resulting from the decay of naturally occurring uranium-238, is the first occupational respiratory carcinogen to have been identified.
What type of radiation does radon 222?
Radon is a gas (radon 222) released from the ground that enters homes and buildings. By itself, radon does little harm, but it decays, releasing α particles, to polonium 218 and lead 214.
Which are secondary air pollutants?
Examples of a secondary pollutant include ozone, which is formed when hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) combine in the presence of sunlight; NO2, which is formed as NO combines with oxygen in the air; and acid rain, which is formed when sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxides react with water.
How fast does radon accumulate?
Radon gas can damage cells in your lungs, which can lead to cancer. Radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States, though it usually takes 5 to 25 years to develop.
Should I worry about radon gas?
If we breath in high levels of radon over long periods of time this exposure can lead to damage to the sensitive cells of our lungs which increases the risk of lung cancer. Radon causes about 1,000 lung cancer deaths in the UK every year.
What can be done about radon-222?
Steps you can take to measure and reduce radon levels include:
- Purchasing a radon test kit. Find a Radon Test Kit or Measurement and Mitigation Professional.
- Testing your home or office.
- Sending the kit to appropriate sources to determine radon level.
- Fixing your home if radon levels are high.
What is not a secondary air pollutant?
Smog is not a secondary pollutant. Smog is air pollution that reduces visibility. The term “smog” was first used in the early 1900s to describe a mix of smoke and fog. The smoke usually came from the burning of coal.
Which of following is a secondary pollutant?
Secondary pollutants are not emitted directly. They are formed from the combination of primary pollutants with some other compound. Examples of secondary pollutants are Ozone, Formaldehyde, PAN (peroxy acetyl nitrate) and Smog etc.
How did radon 222 become a respiratory carcinogen?
Radon-222, a noble gas resulting from the decay of naturally occurring uranium-238, is the first occupational respiratory carcinogen to have been identified. As early as the 1500s, Agricola chronicled unusually high mortality from respiratory disease among underground metal miners in the Erz Mountains of eastern Europe (Hoover and Hoover 1950 ).
How much radon is there in the air?
Radon daughters are often attached to dust, and you are exposed to them primarily through breathing (2). They are present in nearly all air. However, background levels of radon in outdoor air are generally quite low, about 0.003 to 2.6 picocuries of radon per liter of air (2).
Can a person be exposed to radon gas?
What is radon gas? Is it dangerous? Radon is a naturally-occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. Radon gas is inert, colorless and odorless. Radon is naturally in the atmosphere in trace amounts. Outdoors, radon disperses rapidly and, generally, is not a health issue. Most radon exposure occurs inside homes, schools and workplaces.
Where does the radioactive gas radon come from?
Radon (Rn-222) is an odorless and colorless natural radioactive gas. It is produced during the radioactive decay of radium-226, itself a decay product of uranium-238 found in many types of crustal materials, that is, rocks and soils.