Radon

All parents want to protect their children. We all want our children to be safe and healthy. Play the true or false game, The Truth About Radon, to find out how much you know about Radon. Move your mouse over the text in the tile to reveal the correct answer.

Radon smells like rotten eggs.	Every home should be tested for radon.
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.	Radon test kits are not available at local health departments.
Radon can be harmful to children.	Radon looks like a cloudy gas.
Radon can be found all over the state of Michigan.	Radon enters the home through the soil.

What is Radon?

• Radon is a hazardous gas.
• You cannot see or smell radon.
• Radon is created in the soil where uranium and radium are found. Uranium breaks down to radium, which in turn breaks down into radon.
• Radon enters homes from the soil under the foundation.

How Can Radon be Harmful to Your Child?

• Radon breaks down into radioactive particles that are naturally released into the air. These particles are very small and can be inhaled.
• When they are inhaled they attach to lung tissue and expose the lungs to radiation. Long-term exposure can lead to lung cancer.
• For young children, this can be very harmful. Their bodies are still developing and their lungs are very sensitive.

What Can You do about it?

The only way to know if your home is contaminated with radon is to check for it! A radon test is a simple way for you to find out your home's radon level. The test is easy to use. Test kits can be purchased from your local health department or a hardware store.

• A level of 4 pCi/L or less is best. A picocurie (pee-co-cur-ie) is a measure of radioactive decay.
• If your home has a level higher than 4 pCi/L, you should retest to verify the level and to see if repairs are needed.
• Your local health department can give you more information about repairs.

Additional Resources

• Environmental Protection Agency
• Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
• Healthy Indoor Air for America's Homes
• American Academy of Pediatrics

• A Citizen's Guide to Radon (free)
  United State Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Document Number 402-K02-006, Revised May 2002. Available in Spanish: El Radon guia para su proteccion y la de su familia.

• Learning About Radon - A Part of Nature (free)
  Written for Native Americans, this 18-page booklet discusses radon's place in the world, the basics on testing, and how homes can be fixed to reduce radon levels. Native Americans should contact their Tribal health department or state radon program office for more information. EPA Document Number 402-K-02-002, February 2002. Copies can be ordered from the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Information Clearinghouse at 1-800-438-4318.

• Help Yourself to a Healthy Home, CD-ROM and booklet
  Call for ordering information
  University of Wisconsin-Extension
  303 Hiram Smith Hall
  Madison, WI 53706
  (608) 265-2774

• Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
  For more information regarding Radon Testing contact the information line at 1-800-RADON-GAS.

• Home Safe Kids Curriculum
  Contact Kendra Moyses at 517-432-7654 or kmoyses@msu.edu

Radon Review

Please move your mouse over the choices to know the right answer

1. Radon can cause cancer.
            True          False
2. Radon can be seen and smelled.
            True          False
3. Radon is harmful to my family.
            True          False
4. My home should be tested for radon.
            True          False
5. I can call my local health department for a radon test kit.
            True          False