Rating radon through the looking glass

Journal Article · Mon May 03 00:00:00 EDT 1993 · Business Week; (United States)

OSTI ID:6593408

Radon emerged as a health threat in the last five years as studies showed that exposure to high levels in the home can cause lung cancer. But many families move so often that its difficult to determine their exposure over a lifetime. Now, Battelle Memorial Institute scientists at the Energy Dept.'s Pacific Northwest Lab in Richland, Wash., have devised a clever way to do so. They tape a 2-inch-square piece of clear plastic polymer to the glass on an old mirror or framed picture. Such items as wedding photos are easily datable and normally carried from home to home. As radon decays over the years, it emits alpha particles, which embed themselves in glass. The particles leave tracks in the polymer. By analyzing these tracks, scientists can estimate a person's average annual exposure to indoor radon over 20 years or more. Starting in May, the technique will be used in a three-year National Cancer Institute study that examines radon, smoking, and diet as co-factors in the risk of lung cancer.

• OSTI ID: 6593408
• Journal Information: Business Week; (United States), Vol. 3317; ISSN 0007-7135
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
RADON
RADIATION HAZARDS
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
RADIATION MONITORING
AIR POLLUTION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
GASES
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
MONITORING
NONMETALS
POLLUTION
RARE GASES
540130* - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
560161 - Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology- Man