RADON
- SCI & TECH
News:
Bangalore's ground water
has high radon content
What's
in the news?
●
Recently, in some areas of Bengaluru,
groundwater used for drinking has been found to contain significantly high
levels of radioactive radon.
Key
takeaways:
●
In many countries, drinking water is
obtained from groundwater sources such as springs, wells and boreholes. These
sources of water normally have higher concentrations of radon than surface
water from reservoirs, rivers or lakes.
Radon:
●
Radon originates
from radioactive granites and uranium, which undergoes decay to radium and
radon.
●
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas which may be found in
high concentrations in indoor environments, such as homes and workplaces.
●
It is an inert, colourless, and odourless gas.
Concerns
of Radon:
●
Radon is one of the leading causes of lung cancer.
●
Radon is estimated to cause between 3% to
14% of all lung cancers in a country, depending on the national average radon
level and smoking prevalence.
●
Lung cancer risk is higher for smokers due
to synergistic effects of radon and cigarette smoking.
Measures
to Control Radon:
●
Well-tested, durable and cost-efficient
methods exist for preventing radon entry into new buildings and reducing radon
in existing buildings.
● Radon concentration indoors can easily be measured with a small passive detector.