Environmental Services

  
  News & Events:  
   
 
Radon
  Introduction
  What is Radon
  Evaluating Radon
  Occurance of Radon
  Idaho Map
  Utah Map
  Testing
  Contact Informaiton
   
 
 
What is Radon?
  
 
Radon is a radioactive, colorless, odorless, tasteless gas produced by the natural breakdown of uranium in soil and rocks. Decay of radon, which has a half-life of 3.8 days, results in the daughter products polonium, bismuth, astatine, and lead. When inhaled over a long period of time, these solid radioactive daughter products can cause lung-cancer. Between 2,000 and 3,000 lung cancer deaths are attributed to radon each year in the United States.
  
 
Radon can move through cracks in rocks and through pore spaces in soils.

 
Because radon is a gas, it can migrate through rocks and soils, escaping into fractures and openings in rocks and into ground water. Radon moves more readily through permeable soils, such as sand and gravel, and through fractures in rocks. Radon moves more slowly in water than in air; therefore, moist soils retard its movement more effectively than dry soils. Radon moving through soil
  
  near the earth's surface usually escapes into the atmosphere. Radon gas may seep into our homes through construction joints, cracks in the foundation, or the water supply. Even if the soil air contains only moderate levels of radon, concentrations inside houses may be high. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's action level (the level at which steps should be taken to reduce radon) is 4 pico curies per liter of air (pCi/L). About 1 out of every 15 houses in the U.S. has radon levels exceeding the recommended action level.
 
  Brigham Tribal Office
707 N. Main Street
Brigham City, UT 84302
Phone: 800-310-8241
Local: 435.734.2286 | Fax: 435.734.0424
Pocatello Tribal Office
353 East Lander
Pocatello, ID 83201
Phone: 208-478-5712
Fax: 208.478.5713
  
for questions or comments contact webmaster(at sign)nwbshoshone-nsn.gov