Radon is a radioactive gas that is produced naturally by the breakdown of uranium in the ground. Since radon can't be seen, smelled, or tasted, it can get into your home undetected. In outdoor air, radon is diluted and therefore not a concern. But in confined spaces like your house, radon can build up to high levels and become a health risk.
Radon can enter your home any place where the house touches the soil and there is an opening.
Possible entry points into your home include:
It is estimated that a non-smoker exposed to high levels of radon over a lifetime has a one in 20 chance of developing lung cancer. That estimate increases to one in three for a smoker exposed to high levels of radon over a lifetime.
http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/healthy-living-vie-saine/environment-environnement/air/contaminants/radon-eng.php
Radon can enter your home any place where the house touches the soil and there is an opening.
Possible entry points into your home include:
- cracks in foundation walls and floor slabs
- construction joints
- gaps around service pipes
- support posts
- window casements
- floor drains
- sumps or cavities inside walls
- dirt floors
- the amount of uranium in the ground
- the number of entry points into your home
- how well your home is ventilated
It is estimated that a non-smoker exposed to high levels of radon over a lifetime has a one in 20 chance of developing lung cancer. That estimate increases to one in three for a smoker exposed to high levels of radon over a lifetime.
http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/healthy-living-vie-saine/environment-environnement/air/contaminants/radon-eng.php
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