Radon spreads from
water into your bored or dug up well. Radon gas is set free
when we take a shower, wash ourselves, wash the dishes, etc.
The radon gas spreads all around the living quarters. There we
breathe in the gas and the radon goes from being a water radon
problem to being an air radon problem. In order to deal with
the radon, it is always best to go to the source because in
addition to the radon in the air, you should always first
measure the radon contents in water and then attend to it (it
is not necessary if your water is from the municipal water
supply).
Radon is a noble
gas which is produced when the radioactive element radium
decomposes. The radon gas then decomposes into radon daughters
which are radioactive metallic atoms. When we breathe air
containing radon, radon daughters get caught in our breathing
canals. In addition to the decomposing, radon daughters
transmit radiation which can damage the cells in the bronchial
tubes and lungs. For that reason, the high percentage of radon
gas found in living quarters is considered an inconvenience to
the health of a human being. According to Swedish
environmental protection criteria, the authorities can demand
that real estate owners sink the percentage to under 200 Bq/m³
(becquerel per cubic meter of air), which is the set limit for
existing buildings. According to the living regulations
established by the
National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, the set
limit value for newly built houses is 200 Bq/m³.
Radon doesn't have
a smell, it can't be seen and you can't taste it. The only way
to discover it is to measure it. Based on where the radon is
coming from and how high the percentage of its contents are,
there is then a certain amount of measures that can be taken
to sink this percentage. After smoking, radon is the most
common cause of lung cancer. The longer you live in a house
exposed to radon and the higher its percentage you expose
yourself to, the larger the risk. For those who smoke, the
risk is particularly great. The Swedish Radiation Protection
Authority calculates that app. 500 people per year die of lung
cancer caused by radon.
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