Product Brochure

Professional Radon Laboratory Services Since 1984
Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas.
You can't see it, smell it, or taste it, but radon is estimated
to cause well over 20,000 deaths each year (more deaths
than from melanoma or drunk driving).
Why? Because when you breathe in
radon gas over a period of time,
you can get lung cancer. The more
radon you are exposed to, and the
longer the exposure, the greater
the risk of eventually developing
lung cancer.
The U.S. Surgeon General, American Lung Association, World
Health Organization, and many others have warned that
radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer today.
It is 5 to 6 times more dangerous to your lungs than
secondhand smoke. If you smoke and your home has
elevated radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is
especially high.
The U.S. EPA estimates that nearly 1 out of
every 15 homes has elevated radon levels.
Radon problems may be more common in some
geographic areas, but any home can have high radon.
Schools, day care facilities, and workplaces can also have
a radon problem. Ask whether they have been tested.
Radon can be found everywhere and in any
home new or old, well sealed or drafty, with
or without a basement.
Radon gas comes from the natural (radioactive) breakdown
of uranium in soil, rock, and water and gets into the air you
breathe. It can enter any type of building, including homes,
offices, and schools.
But you and your family are most likely to receive your
greatest exposure at home, where you spend most of
your time.
Breathing
radon gas
can cause
lung cancer.
Alpha Tracks • Continuous Monitors • LS and Canister Test Kits
MA: 888.480.8812 PA: 800.523.4964
www.accustarlabs.com
How does radon get into your home?
Radon gas typically moves up through the ground and
into your home through cracks in floors or walls, joints,
gaps around pipes and other holes or cavities in the
walls or foundation. Radon can enter the home even
when no visible cracks exist. Your home traps radon
inside, where it can build up. Radon also can enter the
home through the well water. In some rare cases,
building materials may be a source of radon gas.
Radon in Air:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
recommendations:
• Fix your home if the radon level is 4 pCi/L
(picoCuries per Liter) or higher.
• Consider fixing your home when radon levels are
between 2 pCi/L and 4 pCi/L (because there is no
known safe level of radon).
In addition, due to normal fluctuations in radon levels,
you should retest your home every 2 years.
Radon in Well Water:
Recommendations vary from
state-to-state for radon in
water, with many states
providing no
recommended action
level. However, EPA
has developed a
proposed regulation
to reduce radon in
drinking water. As a
result of that regulation,
the action level for radon
in public water supplies will likely
be 4,000 pCi/L. For information on
recommended action level in your state, contact your
State Radon Office. (See attached list.)
Test your home.
Radon and You
Information to Protect You
and Your Family from Radon