RADON IN BLUE RIDGE AMONG HIGHEST IN NATION

[Susan Gawarecki <loc@ICX.NET>]

RADON IN BLUE RIDGE AMONG HIGHEST IN NATION

Environment News Service

http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-13-09.html



RICHMOND, Virginia, June 13, 2001 (ENS) - Radon concentrations

in ground water from homeowners' wells in the Blue Ridge area of the

New River watershed, in parts of North Carolina and Virginia, were

among the highest measured in the nation in a new report from the

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). 



Radon is a radioactive gas, and radon in air is the second leading

cause of lung cancer. 



"These results for ground water suggest that many homes in the Blue

Ridge region may have excessive radon in their indoor air," said USGS

project leader Mark Kozar. 



Radon forms during the decay of uranium, and rocks in the area have

high natural uranium content. Radon can seep through soil and

accumulate in poorly ventilated homes, particularly in basements. 



Water from 87 percent of wells sampled in the Blue Ridge region

exceeded the proposed national drinking water standard of radon

which is 300 picocuries per liter (pCi/L). One third of the wells

contained more than 4,000 pCi/L, the alternate standard proposed for

areas where action is being taken to decrease radon levels in indoor

air. 



The maximum radon concentration detected was 30,900 pCi/L. 



Similar radon concentrations may be expected in other parts of the

Blue Ridge and Piedmont in Virginia and North Carolina where similar

rocks are present. The USGS has found that the median radon

concentration across the nation is 410 pCi/L. 



Breathing radon poses a greater risk than drinking water containing

radon. Radon, in addition to seeping into homes through soil and rock,

can also escape into the air when ground water containing radon is

used for bathing, laundry, and cooking. 



"Water in rivers or lakes usually contains very little radon," said

Kozar. 



More information on radon is available at:

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/ (indoor air) and:

http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw000/radon/fact.html/ (drinking water). 

-- 

.....................................................

Susan L. Gawarecki, Ph.D., Executive Director

Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee

                       -----                       

A schedule of meetings on DOE issues is posted on our Web site

http://www.local-oversight.org/meetings.html - E-mail loc@icx.net

.....................................................

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