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Environmental Health

What is radon?

Radon is a naturally occurring gas produced by the radioactive decay of the element radium. Radon itself is radioactive and it decays to form the element polonium. Polonium is also radioactive and it is this element, which is produced by radon in the air and in people's lungs, that can hurt lung tissue and cause lung cancer.

Radon is ubiquitous (usually in small amounts) in rock and soil and can be carried in water, air, and in natural gas. Some rock types have the potential to produce higher than average amounts of radon gas.

USGS research on radon has mostly been limited to its presence in groundwater. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the best starting point for information about air quality and radon in buildings.

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Should I be concerned about radon in my house?

You can get an idea as to how concerned you should be about radon in your house by learning about the geology of the site and its radon potential. If your house is in an area the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows has a high potential for radon, then chances are that your house may have an indoor radon problem. However, the way a house is built can increase the risk - so even in areas of...

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Should I be concerned about radon in my house?

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May 11, 2017

Evaluation of radon occurrence in groundwater from 16 geologic units in Pennsylvania, 1986–2015, with application to potential radon exposure from groundwater and indoor air

Results from 1,041 groundwater samples collected during 1986‒2015 from 16 geologic units in Pennsylvania, associated with 25 or more groundwater samples with concentrations of radon-222, were evaluated in an effort to identify variations in radon-222 activities or concentrations and to classify potential radon-222 exposure from groundwater and indoor air. Radon-222 is hereafter referred to as “rad

Authors

Eliza L. Gross

Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

August 30, 2011

Trace elements and radon in groundwater across the United States, 1992-2003

Trace-element concentrations in groundwater were evaluated for samples collected between 1992 and 2003 from aquifers across the United States as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program. This study describes the first comprehensive analysis of those data by assessing occurrence (concentrations above analytical reporting levels) and by comparing concentrations to

Authors

Joseph D. Ayotte, Jo Ann M. Gronberg, Lori E. Apodaca

Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

April 3, 2009

The quality of our nation’s waters: Quality of water from domestic wells in principal aquifers of the United States, 1991–2004— Overview of major findings

More than 43 million people - about 15 percent of the U.S. population - rely on domestic wells as their source of drinking water (Hutson and others, 2004). The quality and safety of water from domestic wells, also known as private wells, are not regulated by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act or, in most cases, by state laws. Rather, individual homeowners are responsible for maintaining their dom

Authors

Leslie A. DeSimone, Pixie A. Hamilton, Robert J. Gilliom

Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

June 1, 2000

Naturally occurring radionuclides in the ground water of southeastern Pennsylvania

Naturally occurring radionuclides in the ground water of southeastern Pennsylvania may pose a health hazard to some residents, especially those drinking water from wells drilled in the Chickies Quartzite. Water from 46 percent of wells sampled in the Chickies Quartzite and 7 percent of wells sampled in other geologic formations exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) maximum cont

Authors

Ronald A. Sloto

Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

January 1, 1998

Radon in Ground Water in Seven Counties of Wyoming

No abstract available.

Authors

Melanie L. Clark, Cheryl A. Eddy-Miller

January 1, 1996

Radon in ground water of the lower Susquehanna and Potomac River basins

Ground-water samples collected from 267 wells were analyzed for radon as part of a water-quality reconnaissance of subunits of the Lower Susquehanna and Potomac River Basins conducted by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program. Radon is a product of the radioactive decay of uranium. Airborne radon has been cited by the Surgeon Gen

Authors

Bruce D. Lindsey, Scott W. Ator

Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

January 1, 1993