The dreamlike Alpine scenery bathes Austria in a truly magical light. The majestic mountains create a deep sense of home. Tourists also love Austria, which, as one of the most attractive holiday destinations in the world, is an Eldorado especially for mountaineers and skiers.
The mountains can inspire, but they can also kill. The rugged regions provide favorable entry paths for the radioactive noble gas radon. As a result, radon concentrations in Austria are particularly high by international standards: around 10% of all lung cancer cases in the Alpine state are attributable to this radioactive noble gas. Radon thus leads to the second-highest burden on the lungs of all. In terms of its harmful effects, radon is only ranked behind nicotine, but is far ahead of asbestos and diesel soot. To make matters worse, radon also increases the risk for smokers of developing lung cancer, thus affecting people who are particularly at risk. How can citizens protect themselves from radon?
The environmental toxin is invisible: Radon measuring devices help
A complicating factor with radon is that the enemy cannot be detected. Nicotine is an environmental toxin that gives people the choice not to actively inhale it. Passive smokers can avoid visible and peculiarly smelling plumes of smoke. But radon eludes every human sense. This was the reason why the effect of radon remained underestimated and was not recognized as a cause of lung cancer for a long time.
At least in this area, there has been improvement, because today calibrated measuring devices are available to every resident, which can be purchased for little money and show the radon exposure in the house. A distinction is made here between passive and active radon measuring devices. Active measuring devices immediately show the radon levels in the building, while passive measuring devices do this over longer periods of time.
How does radon get into the house?
Radon proliferates in the earth's interior and enters the environment through cracks, fissures, and crevices. In the wild, it is harmless to humans in its low concentrations because it quickly dissipates in the outside air. However, the situation is different when radon enters the building through the basement. Here, the noble gas initially collects due to its density. Radon is the most massive of all noble gases, with a weight seven times that of air. Nevertheless, radon incessantly makes its way into the upper living areas over time and remains trapped in the microcosm of the house as long as no countermeasures are taken.
Why is radon dangerous?
Radon is a decay product of uranium and radium. In this decay chain, radioactive substances such as bismuth, lead, and polonium are in turn created from radon. These are hidden in the air and are inhaled by humans via aerosols. The radioactive radiation emanating from radon and its decay products belongs to the category of alpha radiation, the properties of which are a low penetration depth combined with high energy intensity. Therefore, the effect of radon is hardly or not at all dangerous for the relatively tough and thick outer skin, because alpha radiation is unable to penetrate it.
However, if radon and its decay products enter the soft lung tissue through breathing, the alpha radiation penetrates completely and produces the maximum of its harmful effect. The power of the alpha radiation is now so massive that it can alter the genetic code of the lung tissue, which triggers lung cancer.
How can you protect yourself?
The mentioned radon measuring devices first determine the radon exposure in your own home. Through shock ventilation, radon can mix better with the outside air and be partially removed from the house. However, the constant new influx of radon is not prevented by this.
To achieve this, the radon entry points in the basement must be sealed with silicone. Even more sustainable is the installation of a radon drainage system or a radon well to extract the radioactive noble gas. Residents can seek advice from radon specialists who can show how high radon concentrations in the building can be reduced to a moderate level again.
