Radiation is Everywhere From Signs to Food and the Air We Breathe

Many people know about the radiation activity in nuclear plants, especially since the disaster in Japan has caused radiation problems in water, milk, air, and more. However, many experts have confirmed that the United States doesn’t have much to worry about regarding a direct correlation to our products, but we should, however, recognize the radiation we encounter on a daily basis.

Radiation is everywhere, from the signs we see to the food we eat and the air we breathe. So what does this mean exactly? Are we in dire need of protection? No. We’re perfectly fine, if we aren’t being exposed to high or consistent levels of radiation. Thankfully, we have experts measuring and identifying how much radiation can be endured without much affect.

Let’s look at all the good ways radiation is used in medicine and preservatives. You may already know about some of these, but others just might shock you.

Doctors utilize radiation in x-rays, computed tomography scans (CT) and other techniques such as tracers, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and position emission tomography (PET). In addition, doctors use radiation treatment against cancers and the sterilization of foods and male insects. Outside of the medical field, you’ll find radiation in glowing signs and the dials on watches and phones, smoke detectors, and tobacco. Of course, there’s also radiation in our nuclear power plants, which generates 20 percent of the energy in the U.S.

The highest concentration of naturally occurring radiation is radon gas. Rocks and soil contain three elements that are radioactive: potassium, thorium and uranium-- the third of which decays into radon gas. Unfortunately, we cannot recognize radon using any of our senses. So, radon is responsible for about 21,000 deaths from radon induced lung cancer each year in the U.S.

Let’s compare the medical use of x-rays to the radiation we find in radon. The amount of radiation in 4.0 pCi/L (the action level recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency) of radon is actually equivalent to the radiation in 100 chest X-rays. It gets worse. Most hospitals actually only allow patients to have four chest X-rays each year. Let's do the math. That converts to the equivalent of .16 pCi/L per X-ray and .64 pCi/L of radiation a year with four X-rays. So, you see, it's very important to have your home tested for radon. Although some radiation is beneficial in the form of medicinal techniques, radiation is deadly when concentrated inside a building.

Contact one of our radon mitigation contractors today for more information and to have your home tested for radon. You can also buy radon test kits online through our site.

Published by National Radon Defense on 04/05/2011