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This New York State map shows township level estimates of the percent of homes with indoor radon exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recommended action level of four picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L). It was developed using nearly 45,000 short-term basement measurements and correlations to surface geology. Typically, radon enters homes at the soil-foundation level.
Radon, a naturally occurring gas found in all soils, is responsible for more than half the radiation dose people receive from all sources. The EPA and the National Academy of Sciences estimate that radon is responsible for 14,000 to 22,000 lung cancer deaths annually in the nation. In New York State, the primary determinants of radon levels are the permeability of the soil to air flow, a result of prior glaciation, and soil radium (226Ra) concentration.
Credit: Dr. Michael Kitto and Dr. Charles Kunz, Laboratory of Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry