Radon, under normal conditions - a colorless inert gas, radioactive, can be dangerous to health and life. At room temperature is one of the heavier gases.
The concentration of radon in the air depends primarily on the geological environment (so, granites, in which a lot of uranium, radon sources are active at the same time, the surface of the seas little radon) and the weather (in the rain microcracks on that radon comes from the soil are filled with water, snow cover also prevents access of radon in the air). Before the earthquake there was an increase in radon concentration in the air, probably due to a more active exchange of air in the soil due to the growth of the microseismic activity.
The main components of background radiation areas heavily dependent on human activities. This is primarily due to such factors as the choice of building materials, design of buildings and used them in the ventilation systems. Measurements do not always confirm the prevailing conclusion that in the basement and on the ground floors of buildings radon accumulates in higher concentrations than in the upper.
Entering the human body, radon contributes to processes that lead to lung cancer. Nuclear decay of radon and its daughter isotopes in the lungs causes mikroozhog because all the energy of alpha particles is absorbed almost at the point of collapse. It is especially dangerous (increases risk) a combination of radon and smoking. It is believed that radon - the second most common (after smoking) factor causing lung cancer mainly bronchogenic (central) type. Lung cancer caused by radon exposure is the sixth leading cause of cancer death.
The decay products of radon get into your lungs with air and detained them. Decaying, emit alpha particles, affecting epithelial cells. Nuclear decay of radon causes lung mikroozhogi. And alpha particles cause damage to the chromosomes of human bone marrow cells, which increases the likelihood of developing leukemia. Most vulnerable to radon are the most important cells - sex, hematopoietic and immune systems. Particles of ionizing radiation damage and hereditary code, hiding, does not manifest itself, as long as the "sick" cell the time comes to share or to create a new body - the child.
