Air Quality

 Air Quality in the U.S. is monitored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)  NOAA partners with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPS) to issue daily air quality forecasts.  NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) currently provides forecast for ozone (O3)and smoke and is updated twice daily.  To view air quality forecasts, click here.

Air quality in the U.S. has significantly improved since the passage in 1970 of the Clean Air Act.  There are still many areas of the country where the public is exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollutants.  Sensative ecosystems are still being damaged by air pollution.  NOAA states that "poor air quality is responsible in the U.S. for an estimated 50,000 premature deaths each year; costs from air pollution-related illness are estimated at $150 billion per year."

Radon Gas [Rn] - Element #86 - Molecular mass of 222
     Radon (Rn) is a gaseous radioactive element that occurs from the natural breakdown (disintegration) of uranium in the soil, water, and rocks. Radon is colorless, odorless, and tasteless.   It can enter your home through cracks and openings in the foundation floor and walls. Radon becomes a risk indoors when it decays or breaks down and accumulates.  When it is inhaled into the lungs, it releases energy that can damage the DNA in sensitive lung tissue and cause cancer.  "In fact, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the nation and is classified as a “Class A” carcinogen according to EPA. Radon is not known to cause asthma or any other type of respiratory distress, states the MO DHSS.

Radon can be tested and measured.  It is measured in units called 'picocuries per liter (pCi/L)' of air.  One curie, named for Marie Curie, the discoverer of metallic radium, is the amount of radiation given off by one gram of radium.  Generally speaking, one pCi is equal to the decay of about two radioactive atoms per minute.  Specifically, one picocurie is one-trillionth of 37 billion disintegrations per second.

           What does this mean for me and my family? 
                                    What level of Radon exposure presents an increased health risk?

For example, a house having 4 picocuries of radon per liter of air (4 pCi/L) would have about 8 or 9 atoms of radon decaying every minute in every liter of air inside the house.  A 1,000-square-foot house with a Radon level of 4 pCi/L has nearly 2 million radon atoms decaying in the house every minute. MO DHSS, in conjunction with EPA, recommends that if the concentration of radon is 4pCi/L or greater, then remediation should be done to lower health risks. Smoking in conjunction with radon exposure greatly increases the risk of lung cancer.

View radon exposure risk charts for smokers and non-smokers Charts

View radon potential for the U.S.  Map

For more information about radon see  “A Citizen’s Guide to Radon."

Radon Test Kits are available from the MO DHSS.  Missouri residents can  receive a free Radon test kit.  Click here to sign up for your Radon test kit.