Radon

Question 1

Radon

Answer 1

Radioactive decay product of uranium

Question 2

Stable product at end of Uranium decay series

Answer 2

Lead

Question 3

Difference between radon and radium

Answer 3

Radon: gas
Radium: solid

Question 4

Most notable effect of radon on humans

Answer 4

Lung cancer

Question 5

How does radon effect the body to cause cancers

Answer 5

Alpha particles have so much energy that it strips electrons away from atoms that make up your body

Question 6

Why is radon hard to detect

Answer 6

Colourless, odourless

Question 7

How long does Mike Holmes recommend to leave Rn testing units in place for

Answer 7

91 days

Question 8

Maximum acceptable level of Rn to Helath Canada

Answer 8

200 Bq/m3

Question 9

How much does a Rn test cost

Answer 9

$250

Question 10

How does Rn enter a house

Answer 10

• from groundwater through foundation
• from well water
• from soil into cracks or windows

Question 11

Bq (becquerel)

Answer 11

Measure of radioactivity

Question 12

1 Bq

Answer 12

activity of a quantity of radioactive material in which one nucleus decays per second

Question 13

Fraction of homes in Calgary with Rn higher than Health Canada limit

Answer 13

1/8

Question 14

Homes built in the last 25 years have higher Rn content on average because

Answer 14

More square footage, taller, more airtight

Question 15

Percentage of lung cancer in Canada attributed to Rn

Answer 15

16%

Question 16

Minerals that contain U and Th, where can they be found

Answer 16

Zircon, uranite, monazite

Found in igneous, sedimentary , and metamorphic rocks

Question 17

How do U and Th-bearing minerals get through the earth

Answer 17

1. fractured bedrock leaches Rn into limestone
2. limestone to sand and gravel
3. sand and gravel to fractured clay
4. fractured clary to sand and silt

Question 18

Most of Alberta is a relative Rn hazard of

Answer 18

Zone 1 - high

Question 19

Highest Rn levels in homes of Calgary area found in

Answer 19

Cochrane

Question 20

Why is Rn higher in some areas

Answer 20

1. abundance of U and Th minerals in bedrock
2. grain size and permeability of bed rock
3. amount of fractures in bedrock
4. U and Th minerals in glacial sediments

Question 21

Kind of rock in Southern Alberta glaciated in the past

Answer 21

Sandstone, siltstone, mudstone

Question 22

Main source of Rn in homes

Answer 22

Rn in soil

Question 23

Plays an important role in soil Rn potential

Answer 23

Soil permeability

Question 24

Strong positive associations between the soil radon potential and

Answer 24

percentage of homes above 200Bq/m3