Radon in Michigan Radon Is Essay

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The development of lung cancer is the primary health risk regarding radon, though even this risk was only discovered in the mid-1980s and it is possible that there are other health issues that could be caused or exacerbated by the presence of unsafe radon levels in many buildings (MDNRE 2010). Government as well as private intervention through awareness programs, self-testing, and subsidies for installing air-exchangers, filters, and other devices proven effective at removing radon from the air and trapping the particles can and should be explored as possibilities for mitigating the negative effects of radon gas, or even eliminating them altogether (MDNRE 2010; EPA 2010; SGO 2007). The government also must serve as the primary source of information on this topic, as it is simply not a major media issue for other reasons, and is a constant and ongoing problem rather than something that might receive a spike in attention due to sudden catastrophic events (SGO 2007).

When people fail to measure for radon levels, it can be assumed that they either were not aware of the need to test or the dangers that radon gas can present, or they simply underestimated their possibility of risk exposure. The various maps of regions and counties with unsafe radon levels does seem to suggest that there are certain areas where concern is not as high, but radon gas can build up to unsafe levels in any building in any county of the United States or worldwide -- some regions appear to have higher concentrations than others, but no region is entirely safe (MDRNE 2010). This is why people need to test for radon and ensure their health regardless of their perceptions on the issue.

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Carbon monoxide poisoning is somewhat similar to radon gas exposure in that carbon monoxide is also odorless, colorless, and highly toxic, but more people are likely to be aware of the dangers associated with carbon monoxide poisoning as compared to levels of awareness regarding excessive radon exposure (EPA 2010). Carbon monoxide is also lethal in much lower doses and with shorter periods of exposure, which is why carbon monoxide detectors that operate constantly, like some detectors, are essential to protecting the health and even the lives of everyone in a given residence (EPA 2010). Ideas about carbon monoxide might also be related to some of the myths held about radon. Some people seem to believe that any amount of radon gas is automatically poisonous and toxic, whereas in reality it is only long-term exposure to elevated levels that is dangerous; everyone is exposed to small amounts of radon gas fairly regularly if not constantly, and it is only at certain levels of exposure that it becomes dangerous (SGO 2007).

My own knowledge of radon gas and exposure levels was fairly limited -- non-existent, in fact -- prior to the research conducted for this paper. Though equipped with a basic understanding of radioactivity, I did not know that it could lead to such widespread health risks, nor did I know that radon gas was a byproduct of uranium's radioactive disintegration. Having now armed myself with this knowledge, I fully understand the importance of raising awareness about the issue, and will definitely do so with those that I know......

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