X-ray2Those of us who live in North Carolina, don’t hear a whole lot about radon.  Of course the limited things we do hear often relate to the scary stuff – little sound bites like radioactive, cancer, death.  Enough to wonder if you are about to grow a third appendage when you hear your home has “high radon levels”.  Let’s take a look at this….

First, just what is radon?  Radon comes from radioactive decay of the element uranium, which decays into radium, which decays into radon.  Oops there are those words that make us nervous – radioactive, radiation.  Well almost always think of nuclear attacks and all the horror stories we associated with radiation.

Radiation, though, is a sort of general term that is associated with a form of energy that is transmitted in the form of high speed particles and electro magnetic waves.  Things like television, microwaves, even your clock radio generate “radiation”.  The radiation from a nuclear blast and the reactions in a nuclear power plant are the types of radiation that give radiation a “bad name”.  This is extremely high levels of energy and the particles emitted are more dangerous and the harmful effects well documented.

When a compound is decaying, it means that it is “unstable” and is emitting particle from it nucleus.  In the case of uranium, enough particles areFall_out2 emitted to where its make-up is altered and it is radium, radium is more stable but keeps emitting particles to become radon, radon is still not stable and it throws off particles.  It actually will become polonium, bismuth, and eventually lead.  Stay with me here – a key point: As indicated above, radioactive decay occurs when a substance is emitting particles. The decay of uranium to radon involves the emission of particles called alpha particles.  These are one of several types of particles in radioactive decay.  Alpha particles travel very fast but are easily stopped by a piece of paper.  On the other extreme, gamma particles travel at the speed of light and can go right through your body.

So, if the radioactive particles of radon are easily stopped, then what’s to worry, you can reasonably?  Well the problem is that the particles can attach themselves to dust, etc.  While they don’t cause issues with attacking your skin, they can easily be inhaled.  One in your lungs the particles can attack individual cells.  Attack on cells is what can eventually cause a cancerous cell to be born and eventually lung cancer.  This is the whole issue with radon. The surgeon general says radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer.  Smoking, (there’s a surprise) is number one.  Current statistics say that about 14,000 deaths per year are attributed to radon-caused lung cancer.  (as a side note about 10 times this amount is caused by smoking only).

Keep this lung cancer stuff in perspective though.  Radon exposure does not cause shortness of breath, coughing, fever, or other short-term symptoms.  The lung cancer worries are from prolonged exposure.  The big question, is what is prolong exposure?  It depends on the weather, how long you are in your house, the condition of your lungs, etc.  Radon is like so many contaminants floating around.  There is not much doubt it cause problems, it’s just that each and every case is different.  There is actually no guarantee that you will develop lung cancer with prolong exposure to radon.

That’s a lot of information on what radon is specifically.  You might be asking, so what do I do with this information?  Stay tuned, we will discuss that on the next post.  In the meantime, let me know if you have some specific questions about this topic.

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What can we do in Charlotte?

by Brian Miller on January 24, 2010

More than just the nation’s second largest financial center, Charlotte’s changing face will surprise you. As a magnet for progressive growth and smart development these days, the Queen City finds itself welcoming more and more new faces—both visitors and residents alike. So meet Charlotte, North Carolina and explore all the wonderful and unforgettable attributes it has to offer. You’ll be a fan of this winning city in no time.

Charlotte is exciting, entertaining, and exhilarating… and Charlotte has an itinerary of fun waiting for you! Take advantage of Charlotte events and Charlotte activities that appeal to the sports fan, which range from the NFL, to the NBA, to the PGA, NASCAR, and beyond, Charlotte is a sports enthusiast’s paradise.

If you’re a night owl, hot new developments continue to make waves, more fresh Charlotte nightlife options are ready to roll out the red carpet for the Queen City visitor. From mellow jazz clubs to salsa dancing lessons and from major musical acts to low-key brew pubs, Charlotte’s nightlife aims to please!

Like to dine out? With a little help from dynamic chefs, invigorating restaurant concepts, and the addition of the culinary leader Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte’s cuisine and restaurant scene are earning a spot on the map. Named one of the “Top 50 Cities That Sizzle” by Restaurant News Magazine, Charlotte’s culinary delights are seemingly endless.

Check out the following links to jump-start your journey in the best city in the South!
www.charlottesgotalot.com
www.charlottecultureguide.com
http://www.10best.com/Charlotte,NC/

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What can we do in Charlotte?

January 20, 2009

More than just the nation’s second largest financial center, Charlotte’s changing face will surprise you. As a magnet for progressive growth and smart development these days, the Queen City finds itself welcoming more and more new faces—both visitors and residents alike. So meet Charlotte, North Carolina and explore all the wonderful and unforgettable attributes it [...]

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An Unveiling is Coming….

December 23, 2008

This is my first post on what I’m hoping is going to be a huge breakthrough for the Real Estate Entropy blog and for me as well.  What you are seeing here is the very early stages of a new site location, new look, new content, new everything almost.  The goal, of course is that [...]

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Charlotte Turkey Trot 2008

November 28, 2008

One of the Charlotte area’s premier events is the annual Turkey Trot run/race. It is an 8K race (i.e. 8 kilometers or 4.96 miles) and held every year on Thanksgiving morning near South Park Mall. This year marked the 20th anniversary with what was stated as an estimated 5,000 runner/walkers. It is as [...]

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Monday Mattoid Musings

October 20, 2008

Definition of mattoid : Nobody is ever partly pregnant, but what about being semi-insane? If you know an unhinged genius, borderline psychopath, quirky monomaniac, extreme eccentric, deranged philosopher or restless crank, you know a mattoid. The mattoid is not quite around the bend but always has the turn signal switched on. From an Italian word [...]

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Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Bells are Ringing

August 25, 2008

“Oh man… “ can’t you just hear that thousands of homes this morning as the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system cranks up another year. When I was a kid in school, I always hated the end of summer, yet there was some excitement in the start of a new school year.  New teachers, new people, new class…
It will be [...]

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And the Survey Says……

July 15, 2008

Television game shows are famous for using the line “…and our survey shows…”  Who knows how these surveys are conducted.  Does anyone ever check the results?  Is the buying and selling of real estate a game show?  Of course not, but there is a big deal survey when it comes to purchasing a home.  That [...]

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And the Survey Says……

July 15, 2008

Television game shows are famous for using the line and our survey shows Who knows how these surveys are conducted. Does anyone ever check the results? Is the buying and selling of real estate a game show? Of course not, but there is a big deal survey when it comes to purchasing [...]

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Monday Mattoid Musings – Independence Day Reprise

July 8, 2008

Definition of mattoid : Nobody is ever partly pregnant, but what about being semi-insane? If you know an unhinged genius, borderline psychopath, quirky monomaniac, extreme eccentric, deranged philosopher or restless crank, you know a mattoid. The mattoid is not quite around the bend but always has the turn signal switched on. From an Italian word [...]

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