radon

4 Stories

Town Hit by Sleeping Illness Gets Answer, No Resolution

A nearby uranium mine may be the culprit, but how?

(Newser) - The mysterious sleeping sickness that has befallen dozens of villagers in a remote region of Kazakhstan continues to befuddle scientists. Following reports of victims passing out in schools, at home, and even on a motorcycle, and sometimes failing to snap out of it for days at a time, scientists descended...

More Cancer-Causing Gas in Homes Near Fracking
More Cancer-Causing Gas
in Homes Near Fracking
NEW STUDY

More Cancer-Causing Gas in Homes Near Fracking

Study suggests fracking could bring radon to the surface

(Newser) - "These findings worry us." That from the head of a new study out of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests fracking could bring radon to the surface—raising levels of the odorless toxic gas in our homes. The researchers looked specifically at 860,000 readings taken...

'Sleeping Illness' Strikes Town

 Mystery 'Sleeping' Illness 
 Strikes Tiny Town 
in case you missed it

Mystery 'Sleeping' Illness Strikes Tiny Town

Village in Kazakhstan struck by 'sleeping sickness'

(Newser) - Activities like cooking, running, and driving a car have gotten a whole lot riskier for villagers in northern Kazakhstan—because they might fall asleep at any moment and stay that way for days, the Smithsonian reports. So far 152 residents in tiny Kalachi have fallen ill with the mystery sickness,...

Nation Cooking on Radioactive Countertops

That fancy granite may contain more uranium than is good for you

(Newser) - Granite countertops have become exceedingly popular, but few realize the dapper slabs can be radioactive, the New York Times reports. Granite often contains uranium, and reports have been flowing in of “hot” counters giving off higher-than-recommended levels of radon gas. “It’s not that all granite is dangerous,...

4 Stories