Radon gas cannot be a barrier to development

Read Comments Comments (7)

• Michael 10 years ago

  Blablablablabla. Has the EPA identified any Radom affected areas in Ghana and have they enforced any of the theoretical big talk coming from them now? Anybody can get this info on google. Your duty is to enforce health provis ...
  read full comment

  Blablablablabla. Has the EPA identified any Radom affected areas in Ghana and have they enforced any of the theoretical big talk coming from them now? Anybody can get this info on google. Your duty is to enforce health provisions which you have failed to do. Please dont waste our time.

  reply
• Man no dey book 10 years ago

  Look guys, Radon gas is a REAL problem.In the typical way of doing things we are going to poo-ooh it and say yes it is everywhere so whats the big deal.We should not forget that is not just mere presence but the concentration ...
  read full comment

  Look guys, Radon gas is a REAL problem.In the typical way of doing things we are going to poo-ooh it and say yes it is everywhere so whats the big deal.We should not forget that is not just mere presence but the concentrations!!Nobody will enforce the codes and poor ignorant Ghanaians would die for nothing.Please stay away from this Weija area of Dunkonah it is bad news.

  reply
• Kojo T 10 years ago

  radon , an inert gas causes lung cancer

  radon , an inert gas causes lung cancer

  reply
• Kofi 10 years ago

  There are more questions to ask on radon gas effect on human life. Do we a national map on areas of radon gas development ?.

  There are more questions to ask on radon gas effect on human life. Do we a national map on areas of radon gas development ?.

  reply
• Kobena 10 years ago

  Re: Radon gas cannot be a barrier to development
  
  There we go again! We are giving “assurances to homeowners” without telling them what should be done or should have been done earlier to limit the effect of radon emissi ...
  read full comment

  Re: Radon gas cannot be a barrier to development
  
  There we go again! We are giving “assurances to homeowners” without telling them what should be done or should have been done earlier to limit the effect of radon emissions in built up areas.
  
  This is what the British Environmental Agency says to homeowners: “…..in other words if your home has an average radon level of 200Bq/m3 or above, then you are strongly advised to take action to reduce it to the new Radon Target Level of no more than 100Bq/m3 in line with American Standards.” (Emphasis mine)
  
  When the problem first cropped up in the Dunkonaa area, there were levels of over 25,000 Bq/m3. In 1998-2000 there were half-hearted attempts to persuade developers to take preventive measures. Were they implemented? No. Did any of the people who subsequently built in the area take preventive measures? I doubt. Almost certainly all the buildings in the area are sitting right on top of the source(s) of the emissions.
  
  Radon gas is colourless, odourless and invisible. As if it has been reported the current high emissions are accompanied by visible black smoke, does anyone know the geological implications of that? I doubt.
  
  Apart from radon emission, much of the area sits in the path of the flood waters from the Weija reservoirs. In the 1939 earthquake a 500,000 gallon reservoir broke and spewed water down the area to the sea for days. Today, the reservoir capacity is much larger.
  
  Seismologically, all the geological factors that led to past earthquakes in the area are still continuing. As surely as night follows day, there will be another one in the future. When? We do not know.
  
  As Geoscientists, Physicists, Engineers, etc, who know the geology and history of the area, will any of us in all honesty, take a loan and build a house in the area and hope to live there for the next thirty years with our families? I doubt that very much. So why are we directly or indirectly encouraging others to live there?
  Ofori Quaah

  reply
• jon 10 years ago

  For good ventilation, people should stop using glazing windows. These are for cold countries and not hot climate country like Ghana. We like copying to much

  For good ventilation, people should stop using glazing windows. These are for cold countries and not hot climate country like Ghana. We like copying to much

  reply
• Kwame 10 years ago

  Please read this:
  Domestic-level exposure[edit]
  
  Radon exposure (actually radon progeny) has been linked to lung cancer in numerous case-control studies performed in the United States, Europe and China. There are approxima ...
  read full comment

  Please read this:
  Domestic-level exposure[edit]
  
  Radon exposure (actually radon progeny) has been linked to lung cancer in numerous case-control studies performed in the United States, Europe and China. There are approximately 21,000 deaths per year in the USA due to radon-induced lung cancers.[5]
  
  One of the most comprehensive radon studies performed in the United States by Dr. R. William Field and colleagues found a 50% increased lung cancer risk even at the protracted exposures at the EPA's action level of 4 pCi/L. North American and European Pooled analyses further support these findings.[103]
  
  
  
  
  
  A controversial epidemiological study showing decreased cancer risk vs. radon domestic exposure (5 pCi/L ? 200 Bq/m3).[104] This study lacks individual level controls for smoking and radon exposure, and therefore lacks statistical power to draw definitive conclusions. Because of this the error bars (which simply reflect the raw data variability) are probably too small.[105] Among other expert panels, the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that these analyses "can be rejected."[106]
  Most models of residential radon exposure are based on studies of miners, and direct estimates of the risks posed to homeowners would be more desirable.[99] Nonetheless, because of the difficulties of measuring the risk of radon relative to other contributors—namely smoking—models of their effect have often made use of them.
  
  Radon has been considered the second leading cause of lung cancer and leading environmental cause of cancer mortality by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.[107] Others have reached similar conclusions for the United Kingdom[99] and France.[108] Radon exposure in homes and offices may arise from certain subsurface rock formations, and also from certain building materials (e.g., some granites). The greatest risk of radon exposure arises in buildings that are airtight, insufficiently ventilated, and have foundation leaks that allow air from the soil into basements and dwelling rooms.

  reply