Radon - What Is It?

what is radon

Radon is a radioactive gas. It's completely colorless, odorless, tasteless, and chemically inert. Unless you literally test for it, there is no way of actually telling how much Radon gas is presently in your home.

Radon gas is formed by the natural radioactive decay of radium and uranium in rock, soil, and water. Naturally existing, low levels of uranium occur widely in the Earth's crust. It can be found in all 50 states, with radon levels fluctuating throughout the U.S. Once produced, radon moves through the ground to the air above. Some radon gas remains below the surface and dissolves in water that collects and flows under the ground's surface.

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, often called progeny or daughters, some of which are also radioactive. Unlike radon, the progeny are not gases and can easily attach to dust and other particles. Those particles can be transported by air and can also be breathed. The decay of progeny continues until stable, non-radioactive progeny are formed. At each step in the decay process, radiation is released.

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Hi Dave,

I just wanted to write and thank you very much for doing our inspection today. You really took an awful lot of extra time to explain things to us. It was a huge help and by far my favorite part of this whole home-buying process. In addition to drawing our attention to the major projects that need to be undertaken right away or in the near future, I was glad that you were also so thorough as to point out smaller things and provide suggestions for fixes that we'd be able to do ourselves. Thanks again for all your effort. I'm finding your "Know Your Home" book a great source of information along with your report. I'll no doubt have some questions for you at some point and really appreciate your willingness to answer them. Have a great rest of your weekend!

Take care,

Sean