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What Is Radon? How Does Radon Enter A Building?
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What is Radon? Radon is a radioactive gas, formed by the natural radioactive decay of uranium in rock, soil and water. Low levels of uranium are found in all 50 states. Once produced, radon moves through the ground to the air above. It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and chemically inert. Radon has a half-life of about four days -- half of a given quantity of it breaks down every four days. When radon undergoes radioactive decay, it emits ionizing radiation in the form of alpha particles. It also produces short-lived decay products, called progeny, some of which are also radioactive. Unlike radon, the progeny are not gases and can easily attach to dust and other particles to be transported by air. The decay of progeny continues until stable, non-radioactive progeny are formed. At each step in the decay process, radiation is released. The term radon may be used in a broad sense, referring to radon and its radioactive progeny all at once. When radiation from radon is measured directly, the amount is expressed in picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L). |
