This drawing effect pulls radon into the home and is then generally distributed throughout the house by the heating and cooling system. Radon enters easily because it is so small. As an example, the reason helium balloons get smaller after you buy them is because helium molecules are smaller than the molecules that make up the wall of the balloon. The helium passes right through. Radon is exactly the same size as helium and can easily pass through cracks, openings and most of the porous materials used to construct the foundations and floors of our homes.
Radon is second only to cigarette smoking as the leading cause of lung cancer death.
Both are preventable. As you breathe, radon enters the lungs and continues its decay process. Each time a decay reaction occurs, the lungs' cells receive a small burst of radiation which, can damage the lung tissue or can cause the cells to mutate and develop into lung cancer. No amount of radon is completely safe but the lower your level, the safer you are. The problem is that regardless of which state that you live in, you will never know what your radon level is unless you test.