It is important to realize, there is no safe level of radon. Radon is associated with approximately 100 lung cancer and related deaths in New Hampshire residents each year. Exposure to radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, with more than 21,000 deaths attributed annually to radon-related lung cancer. What health risks are associated with exposure to radon?Īlmost all risk from radon comes from breathing air with radon. Rockingham, Carroll and Coos counties have several communities in which more than half of the homes tested had elevated radon. In general, communities in southeastern and eastern New Hampshire have the highest percentage of homes with elevated radon levels. Which communities in NH are at greatest risk? The concentration of radon in the air is measured in units of picocuries per litre (pCi/L).The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established 4.0 pCi/L as the level at which action should be taken to reduce radon to under 2.0 pCi/L. In the U.S., the average level of indoor radon is 1.25 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) but here in NH, it is estimated to be 1.8 pCi/L. When radon accumulates in indoor air, it poses an increased risk of developing lung cancer.Īs the Granite State, potential exposure to radon in New Hampshire is greater than the national average. Radon is a known carcinogen, a substance capable of causing cancer in living tissue. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that emanates from soil and bedrock, including granite, and can seep into homes primarily through cracks and seams in foundation floors and walls. Radon has no color, odor or taste, making it difficult to detect without testing. Radon is the leading cause of non-smoking related lung cancer in the United States, and smokers living in high radon homes are at greater risk of lung cancer.
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