1. As a chance to learn more about a topic and alter our views if necessary because we found out new information.

2. As a chance to learn more about a topic and provide additional information we may not have already known about the topic here on the Water Testing Blog.

Today’s difference of opinion came to us from a gentleman by the name of ‘Keith’ who wrote, “You stated ‘Radon gas in homes can wipe out whole families and the victims never even know the gas existed before it happens. ‘ This is total B.S. I have studied Radiation effects in people since 1969 and there is no known case of this ocurrance. Prove it.”

First of all, thank you, Keith for contacting us.

Upon reading our own statement, perhaps we may have over-dramatized things a tiny bit, but then again, perhaps not. According to a page on the United States Environmental Protection Agency web site (https://www.epa.gov/radon), “Radon is estimated to cause about 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year, according to EPA’s 2003 Assessment of Risks from Radon in Homes (EPA 402-R-03-003).”

The numbers of deaths from other causes are taken
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s
2005-2006 National Center for Injury Prevention
and Control Report and 2006 National Safety Council Reports.

The EPA’s web site goes on to say, “Radon is estimated to cause many thousands of deaths each year. That’s because when you breathe air containing radon, you can get lung cancer. In fact, the Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is especially high.”

So, while radon doesn’t run up into homes with both barrels of a shotgun blazing as it takes human life, it does seem to kill quite a few people — with both the USEPA and Surgeon General of the United States in agreement that radon poses a significant health risk to humans.

Looking for additional resources related to radon? You may want to browse through Radon Resources.

No one likes to hear the words ‘cancer’ or ‘tumor’… especially when discussing the health of children. Unfortunately for the residents of a Florida community, those words and children have gone together way too often.

Health officials now suspect that elevated levels of radon in the area’s drinking water may have played a part in causing at least a dozen cases of brain cancer or brain tumors and have started testing water from area wells, interviewing residents, and conducting in-depth environmental testing.

THE ACREAGE — Health officials will roll out more environmental tests to determine whether a common factor — radon — could be the cause of a suspected cancer cluster in The Acreage.

The Palm Beach County Health Department plans to screen for the radioactive gas in the homes of a dozen families whose children were diagnosed with brain tumors or brain cancer in recent years.

…

Investigators would complete the radon tests within the next few weeks, after health officials wrap up a month of exhaustive interviews with families of the dozen Acreage children who were diagnosed with brain tumors or brain cancer from 1993 to 2008.

Radium produces radon — a radioactive gas, known to cause lung cancer — when it decays in rocks, soil and water. If elevated levels of radon are found in a home, that could indicate that sources of excessive radiation exist.

Based on samples they took randomly from 50 Acreage homes last year, state environmental officials concluded that some homes in The Acreage have wells with elevated levels of radium and other radioactive substances, which could be from natural causes. ( source )

Below you will find links to other articles on the topic of radon in the air, radon in the water, ways to test for radon and ways to get rid of radon:

• Radon Gas Can Kill Whole Families… Slowly
• Test Kits for Radon in Water and Radon in Air
• Radon Test Kits (for New Jersey)
• Radon Removal Systems

IMmediately below you will find links to test kits for radon in water. Pretty much any home or dwelling that draws its water from a well or other groundwater source ought to check for radon periodically.

Radon Gas in Water Test Kit (rn-h2o) with Lab Analysis Included  Model Number: rn-h2o		$24.75
Radon Test Kits: Radon Gas in Water (25 pack) with Lab Analysis Included  Model Number: rn-h2o-25		$575.00

The next table contains links to radon in air test kits. Pretty much any home or dwelling with a ground floor or basement ought to check for radon periodically.

Electronic Radon Gas Detector & Monitor 0.1 to 999.9 pCi/L (HS71512) Pro Series 3, EPA Approved, Digital Result in 48 Hours w/85dB Alarm  Model Number: pro3		$150.00 $119.95
Radon Gas in Air Test Kit: Long Term, 3 to 12 Month Period (AT100) Alpha Track with Lab Analysis Included  Model Number: rn-AT100		$22.55
Radon Gas in Air Test Kit: Short Term (rn-can) 4″ Calibrated Canister w/Lab Analysis Included  Model Number: rn-can		$12.99
Radon Gas in Air Test Kit: Short Term (rn-LS) Scintillation Vial w/Lab Analysis Included  Model Number: rn-LS		$12.95 $9.99
Radon Gas in Water & Air Combination Test Kit (rn-dlx) Long & Short Term with Radon Awareness Booklet; Lab Analysis Included  Model Number: rn-dlx		$59.95
Radon Monitor: Electronic Continuous Radon Monitor (RS300) Radstar CRM w/Key Lock & Tamper Resistance  Model Number: RS300		$795.00
Radon Monitor: Electronic Continuous Radon Monitor (RS800) Radstar CRM w/Key Lock & Tamper Resistance  Model Number: RS800		$3,895.00
Radon Test Kits: Long Term (12 pack) 91 to 365 Days (rn-AT-12) Alpha Track with Lab Analysis Included  Model Number: rn-AT-12		$239.00
Radon Test Kits: Short Term (100 pack) Liquid Scintillation Vials (rn-LS-100) with Lab Analysis Included  Model Number: rn-LS-100		$844.00
Radon Test Kits: Short Term (24 pack) Liquid Scintillation Vials (rn-LS-24) with Lab Analysis Included  Model Number: rn-LS-24		$219.95
Radon Test Kits: Short Term (25 pack) 4″ Charcoal Canisters (rn-CAN-25) with Lab Analysis Included  Model Number: rn-cans25		$249.00

]]> http://watertestingblog.com/2009/08/03/test-kits-radon-in-water-and-radon-in-air/feed/ 0