American Concerns Rise After Nuclear Reactor Disaster in Japan

The aftermath of the devastating earth quake and tsunami that tore through northern Japan is still wreaking havoc on the Fukushina Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, and onlookers from around the world are evaluating their own risks from radiation.

Video clips showing Japanese citizens as well as American journalists being tested for radiation exposure provide a powerful reminder that exposure to radiation yields lethal consequences. 

Yes, radiation from nuclear power plants can cause severe problems, but there are other forms of radiation that people are sometimes unknowingly being exposed to within their very own homes. What is this mysterious toxin—radon gas!!

Radon gas exposure causes more deaths every year than those caused by the radiation that emanates from nuclear power plants. In the U.S. alone, over 21,000 people die every year from radon exposure. Let’s compare this to nuclear power plants. It’s been noted that a full-time elementary schooler, in a classroom with 4.0 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) of radon for eight hours over 180 days, withstands nearly ten times the radiation being exposed to at the edge of a nuclear power plant. This in NO WAY lessens the severity of the nuclear tragedies in Japan and elsewhere, but it does raise awareness to the less condensed and publicized effects of radon exposure.

Radon exists all over the planet. It comes from the natural decay of uranium in rocks and soil. This radioactive gas seeps between cracks and holes in foundations to then accumulate in high concentrations within a basement or crawl space. From there, the radon makes its way upstairs, into a home’s main living space.

Unfortunately, radon gas is invisible and odorless, so a building’s inhabitants may be unknowingly exposed to dangerous levels of radon gas at any time.

It’s not necessary to buy a Geiger Counter to measure a building’s possible radon levels. Nor do you have to wear a lead-lined “hazmat” suit in order to be sure you’re protected against any radon exposure.

Instead, we should test homes for radon before purchasing them or trying to sell them. This will determine whether the levels inside the home exceed the recommended action level of 4.0 pCi/L, set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Radon test kits are inexpensive and reliable. In fact, you can buy radon test kits online right here on the NRD website. Whether you perform the test on your own, or ask for the help of one of our trained radon abatement experts-- either way, this is how you can protect yourself and your loved ones from the effects of radiation from radon.

If a home’s radon levels are higher than 4piC/l, it’s time to call in one of our experienced radon mitigation contractors. We’ll send a skilled radon contractor to use proven techniques to extract hazardous radon gas from beneath the house and exhaust the radon out of the house where it can harmlessly dissipate into the air. Be certain the radon levels remain low by installing a radon abatement system. This will permanently remove the high risks of radioactive radon, and enabling family members to breathe easily. Of course, it’s always a good idea to have the system maintained every year to make sure it’s working properly and maintaining the appropriate levels.

The recent news about radiation exposure is still making headlines even today. It's a horrible occurrence and our hearts go out to those being exposed and hurt by the radiation from the nuclear power plant in Japan. But, as experts have expressed, Americans need not be as concerned about the possibility of radiation spreading from Japan to the U.S. Instead, Americans should support those struggling in Japan and also focus on our own immediate radiation issue that may be lurking within our very own homes. Make radon safety your #1 focus!

Published by National Radon Defense on 03/24/2011