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Article: The facts about radon.
- Article from:
- Current Events, a Weekly Reader publication
- Article date:
- February 1, 1990
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1990 Weekly Reader Corp. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Radon--it's an odorless, colorless, radioactive gas that seeps into buildings and contaminates the air. As many as 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year in the United States are at least partially caused by radon. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recommended that homeowners, as well as residents of basement, first- or second-floor apartments, test their residences for radon.
Radon is an elemental soil gas formed by the natural breakdown of uranium. It is found in varying concentrations all over the world, but is dangerous only when it seeps up from the soil, gets trapped in an enclosed space (like a house), and is inhaled. Radon's radioactive alpha ...