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Answer to Question #2681 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"Category: Pregnancy and Radiation — Exposures not directly to embryo/fetus The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field: Q
I tested my fully finished basement for one year for radon. The test
results were 5.4 pCi/L. I have been advised to go ahead and correct
this problem. I am 5 1/2 months pregnant and I would like to know of
ANY possible side effects to the baby from this radon exposure. I work
full time in my basement/office and have been doing so for over one
year.
A
Radon is a radioactive gas and the primary organs at risk are the
lungs. The recommended action level—a level at which a homeowner should
consider doing something to reduce radon levels in the air—from the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, Report No. 103, is 8 pCi/L and from the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) is 4 pCi/L. These recommended action levels are set for someone
who spends 75% of their time working or living in the area with that
concentration and does this for many years. But again, the concern is
lung cancer. An individual breathes in the radon gas; most is expelled
but some remains in the small air capillaries of the lung and
irradiates the lung. This is what is believed to cause the cancer after
many years.
Because the health issue associated with radon is related to lung cancer production, there is little information on fetal effects. The National Academy of Sciences produced a report in 1999 (Health Effects of Exposure to Radon) concluding that the only significant health risk associated with exposure to radon is lung cancer. The Committee did review evidence of other potential health effects of radon including non-lung cancers and leukemias, as well as reproductive outcomes. The committee did not conclude that radon could be linked to any adverse reproductive outcomes. The EPA Web site has additional information about radon; much of it is on reducing levels in your home. After you go to the EPA Web site click on the category "pollutants" in the right-hand column. On the pollutants page, there is an "air pollutant" category with a subcategory of "radon." Click on "radon" to take you to a page with links to several EPA publications and a radon Q&A section. You might find some of this information useful. Kelly Classic Certified Medical Health Physicist
Answer posted on 23 May 2003. The information and material posted on this Web site is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may alter the concepts and applications of materials and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice specific to whatever facts and circumstances are presented in any given situation. Answers are correct at the time they are posted on the Web site. Be advised that over time, some requirements could change, new data could be made available, or Internet links could change. For answers that have been posted for several months or longer, please check the current status of the posted information prior to using the responses for specific applications.
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