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【Central News Agency, Atlanta, January 10 Special Report】 2008.01.11 11:54 am
As the National Radon Action Month is being promoted, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today pointed out that the number of deaths caused by radon gas far exceeds that of carbon monoxide by more than a hundred times. It is estimated that this year, approximately 20,000 people will die from inhaling excessive radon gas without even realizing it.
Given the severity of radon's hazards, the EPA has designated January as National Radon Action Month. It is noted that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, following smoking.
It is understood that radon is a colorless, odorless, and undetectable radioactive gas, making it a significant indoor air pollutant. Since radon exists in all environmental mediums such as air, water, and soil, and is naturally produced from the decay of radioactive materials like uranium and thorium in the Earth's crust, it can freely move into the pores of materials and thus enter indoor living environments through various mediums. It was not until the 1980s that the scientific community and the general public began to seriously address the issue of indoor radon pollution.
The EPA stated that, on average, one in fifteen homes in the U.S. is in an environment where radon levels exceed the harmful standard of 4 pCi/L (a unit of radiation intensity). Any household can purchase a simple radon detector to test for it.
It is reported that radon prevention efforts have saved approximately 6,000 lives over the past twenty years. The EPA hopes to achieve the goal of saving 12,000 lives in the next five years.
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ WORLD/ WOR6/ 4176207. shtml
EPA: Radon to Kill 20,000 Americans This Year
As the National Radon Action Month is being promoted, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today pointed out that the number of deaths caused by radon gas far exceeds that of carbon monoxide by more than a hundred times. It is estimated that this year, approximately 20,000 people will die from inhaling excessive radon gas without even realizing it.
Given the severity of radon's hazards, the EPA has designated January as National Radon Action Month. It is noted that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, following smoking.
It is understood that radon is a colorless, odorless, and undetectable radioactive gas, making it a significant indoor air pollutant. Since radon exists in all environmental mediums such as air, water, and soil, and is naturally produced from the decay of radioactive materials like uranium and thorium in the Earth's crust, it can freely move into the pores of materials and thus enter indoor living environments through various mediums. It was not until the 1980s that the scientific community and the general public began to seriously address the issue of indoor radon pollution.
The EPA stated that, on average, one in fifteen homes in the U.S. is in an environment where radon levels exceed the harmful standard of 4 pCi/L (a unit of radiation intensity). Any household can purchase a simple radon detector to test for it.
It is reported that radon prevention efforts have saved approximately 6,000 lives over the past twenty years. The EPA hopes to achieve the goal of saving 12,000 lives in the next five years.
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ WORLD/ WOR6/ 4176207. shtml