Did You Know? How To Test Your Home For Radon

Radon in your home increases your cancer risk

When it comes to reducing your cancer risk, one important step could be right under your nose, or below your feet. 



Getting your home tested for radon can help protect you and your family from a key cause of lung cancer.


According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), each year about 21,000 deaths can be attributed to exposure to radon.  



While that is nowhere near the 480,000 deaths a year caused by smoking, it is still significant. 


Radon is also the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.




WHAT IS RADON?

Radon is a gas that occurs naturally outdoors in harmless amounts. It is produced from the breakdown of uranium in soil and rocks and sometimes becomes concentrated in homes built on top of soil that has natural uranium deposits. 




WHERE IS RADON?

Radon can enter buildings through cracks in floors or walls, construction joints, or gaps in foundations around pipes, wires or pumps. Radon levels are usually highest in the basement or crawl space and that area is where radon testing is recommended.


When radon gas is breathed in, it enters the lungs, exposing them to small amounts of radiation. This may damage the cells in the lining of the lungs and increase a person's risk of lung cancer. 




HEALTH RISKS

The risk of lung cancer is higher in those who have lived for many years in a radon-contaminated house.



The lung cancer risk from radon is much lower than that from smoking. 


However, exposure to the combination of radon gas and cigarette smoke creates a greater risk for lung cancer than either factor alone.



Because radon gas can’t be seen or smelled, the only way to know whether it is a problem in your home is to test for it.  



A Citizen’s Guide to Radon, produced by the EPA, explains how to test your home for radon easily and inexpensively, and what to do if your levels are too high.



TESTING

You can hire a professional tester, or save money and do it yourself with a kit you buy at a hardware store or online. 


Follow the instructions for leaving the kit in your house for the required number of days. Then mail it to a lab and wait for them to send you the results.


If you find out that your radon levels are high, you can take steps to lower the amount of radon in your home. 


The most common method is to have a vent pipe system and fan installed, which pulls radon from beneath the house and vents it to the outside.


It is also possible for radon to enter your home through your water supply, though this is a much lower risk than radon entering your home through the soil. 


If you have a private well, you can have it tested for radon. If the levels are high, you can have the water supply treated so that the radon is removed before it enters your home. 



COST


As with most home repairs, the cost of reducing radon in your home can vary widely, depending on how your home is built (whether you have a basement, crawlspace, or neither) and what kind of system you need.


If you think you have been exposed, you should get tested.  There are no widely available medical tests to measure whether you have been exposed to radon. 


But if you think that you might have been, talk with your doctor about whether you should get regular health checkups and tests to look for possible signs of lung cancer. 


Possible symptoms include shortness of breath, a new or worsening cough, pain or tightness in the chest, hoarseness, or trouble swallowing.


If you smoke and you know you have been exposed to high levels of radon, it’s very important to quit smoking. The combination of cigarette smoking and radon exposure raises the risk of lung cancer more than either smoking or radon exposure alone.


For some people exposed to radon through their jobs, like uranium miners, millers and transporters, the US government has established the Radiation Exposure Compensation Program. It offers compensation for lung cancer and some other lung diseases to people who qualify.


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Quote of the Day - Confucius

Confucius Quote

Did You Know? Fast Facts About Liver Disease

It's amazing that all our organs
can fit inside our abdomen

There are a lot of temptations to overindulge during the summer and Christmas holidays. It is important to eat healthy and continue to exercise.  


Your liver needs foods that contain Vitamins A, E and K to stay healthy. Your liver is a vital organ that you can't live without and it performs over 500 bodily functions. 


If you drink alcohol, do it in moderation. 


If you have risk factors like diabetes or high cholesterol, stay on the straight and narrow, especially when there are multiple opportunities to indulge.


For liver transplants, your new liver will still be functional while it regenerates.  But even if 75% of your liver were removed due to disease or trauma and if you only had 25% left, that 25% could regenerate a full-size liver in 8 to 15 days.  Isn't that amazing?


Now that is Awesome!


WHERE IS YOUR LIVER? 

Your liver is located in the front upper right-hand section of your abdomen, just under your diaphragm and on top of your stomach, right kidney, and intestines.  



WHAT IS ITS FUNCTION?

Your liver is one of your largest and most important organs and performs over 500 functions. Primarily it filters your blood just like the kidneys do, and helps to digest and break down food and drugs to make it easier for the rest of the body to use.  The liver also stores glucose in the form of glycogen and helps in maintaining the proper amount of glucose in the blood




RISK FACTORS FOR LIVER CANCER OR CIRRHOSIS


One main cause of cirrhosis is drinking large amounts of alcohol for many years. 


If you are very overweight, have diabetes or a condition called metabolic syndrome, you are at higher risk of getting nonalcoholic fatty liver disease,  a buildup of fat in your liver which can lead to liver cancer.


Certain diseases can make you more likely to get liver cancer, including:


Long-term hepatitis B or C -- viruses that attack and damage your liver


Cirrhosis -- liver damage that can make scar tissue replace healthy tissue



Liver diseases you’re born with, like Wilson’s disease (when you have too much copper in your liver)



Toxins Raise Your Risk

Some of these can cause liver cancer, including:

Aflatoxins: poisons made by molds that can grow on crops like corn and peanuts if they’re not stored the right way


Arsenic: a chemical that’s sometimes in well water


Thorium dioxide: a substance once used for some kinds of X-rays (it’s not used anymore)



Vinyl chloride: a chemical used to make some kinds of plastics

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF LIVER CANCER

Most people don’t notice any signs of liver cancer early on. Here are some of the main symptoms:

-- Feel full easily or not want to eat

-- Have a lump below your right rib cage

-- Feel pain on the upper right side of your belly or near your right shoulder

-- Have an upset stomach

-- Have swelling in your belly

-- Feel tired and weak

-- Lose weight

--Have white, chalky poop and dark urine


-- Notice your skin and the whites of your eyes are a yellowish color  

TESTS

If your doctor thinks you might have liver cancer, he may recommend:

Biopsy: He will take a small sample of your liver to test for cancer.

Blood tests:  Checks how well your liver is working and look for things in your blood that may be signs of cancer, called tumor markers.

Imaging tests: This might be an ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, or an angiogram, which is a kind of X-ray that looks at your blood vessels.

STAGES 

The stages tell you how far the cancer has spread:

Stage I: One tumor that hasn’t spread anywhere else

Stage II: One tumor that’s spread into blood vessels, or more than one tumor, but all smaller than 2 inches

Stage III: One tumor that’s spread to major blood vessels or nearby organs, or more than one tumor and at least one of them is larger than 2 inches

Stage IV: The cancer has spread to other body parts.

TREATMENT PLANS: 

Treatment for liver cancer depends on the stage you have, as well as your age, overall health, and the health of your liver. If the cancer hasn’t spread and you don’t have other liver problems, you may have:

--Treatment: Surgery to remove the tumor

A liver transplant, where you get a new liver from a donor. This isn’t common.

--Treatment: Ablation Therapy

This tries to kill cancer cells in different ways:

Alcohol: Your doctor puts pure alcohol into the tumors to destroy them.

Freezing: Your doctor uses a thin, blunt instrument called a probe to freeze and kill tumor cells.

Heat: Microwaves can make enough heat to destroy tumors.

Electrical pulses: Bursts of electricity kill cancer cells (this is still being tested).

--Treatment: Targeted Therapy

Cancer cells work differently than normal cells. Targeted therapy uses drugs designed to attack cancer cells based on those differences. This may keep tumors from making blood vessels they need to survive, or it may stop tumor cells from dividing so they can’t grow.

CAN LIVER CANCER BE PREVENTED?

No, but you can lower your chances of getting liver cancer:

1. Get the hepatitis B vaccine.

2. Stay a healthy weight through the food you eat and exercise.

3. Limit the amount of alcohol you drink: up to one a day for women, two for men.

4. Don’t use intravenous (IV) drugs -- if you do, use clean needles.

5. Get tattoos and piercings only at safe, clean shops.

6. Practice safe sex.

Sources: WebMD, Healthline, and NIH


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Quote of the Day - Wonder

https://nowyouknowthis2.blogspot.com

Did You Know? Legal, But Poisoned Alcohol

Cause of death - Alcohol Poisoning

In the 1920s through to the mid-1930s, bootlegged whiskey and liquor that was made in homemade stills and gins often made people sick. That's because the liquor produced in these well-hidden stills frequently came tainted with metals and other impurities.  

But on December 24, 1926, it wasn’t tainted gin that poisoned them. It was the U.S. government.


To keep people from drinking during Prohibition, the government reverted to poison: redistilled industrial-grade alcohol.  This was liquor that was initially produced for things like cleaning supplies and paint. 

When they added unpleasant chemicals so that people wouldn't drink it, they called it "denaturing." It was tactic that had been used once before, back in 1906 for manufacturers who wanted to avoid taxes on spirits.


During Prohibition, people would steal the industrial alcohol and re-process it into a somewhat palatable liquor,  then sell it to thirsty Americans, like Antonio Rizzo, who was arrested in Brooklyn in 1922 at the Eureka Chemical Company when he had in his possession 25 gallons of denatured alcohol and a reprocessing machine.  They threw him in jail.


But pretty soon, the government decided that jailing these offenders wasn’t enough.

So in 1926, the President Calvin Coolidge's Administration decided to make the booze more toxic in the hopes that this would deter people from drinking the stuff. 

The government ordered companies to add even more additives to the industrial alcohol, which actually made it lethal. 

The government wanted to scare people into giving up drinking.


It didn’t work. 

Instead, by the end of Prohibition in 1933, the federal poisoning program had killed at least 10,000 people.


There was an incident in 1928 in which 33 people in Manhattan died in three days, mostly from drinking wood alcohol.

Bootleggers

The government made no attempt to pretend that increasing the denaturing formula wouldn’t lead to deaths.  

Seymour M. Lowman, the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in charge of Prohibition, told citizens of the upper echelon of society that drinkers were "dying off fast from poison 'hooch' and that if the result was a more sober America, "a good job will have been done."


Industrial alcohol itself was a deadly cocktail of chemicals. A list of the additives and their uses from studies done by the New York City medical examiner in 1928 included the following:


Kerosene: A fuel made of distilled petroleum used today in jet engines, lamps, and cleaning solvent.

Brucine: A bitter and extremely poisonous alkaloid found in the seeds of the nux vomica plant that is used as an additive in lubricants and local anesthetics.

Gasoline: Refined petroleum used for internal combustion engines.

Benzene: A liquid from coal tar and petroleum that used to be in solvents, but is no longer used because it’s extremely carcinogenic.

Cadmium: A metal that resembles tin that’s used in plating, metal alloys, batteries, and pigments.

Zinc: A metal found in brass and used to galvanize iron and steel to protect against corrosion.


Mercury salts: A chemical compound of mercury and chlorine.

Nicotine: The chief active ingredient of tobacco that is also used in insecticides.


Ether: A highly flammable liquid used as an anesthetic and as a solvent.


Formaldehyde: A compound made from oxidized methyl alcohol that’s used as a disinfectant and preservative in resins and plastics.


Chloroform: A liquid used as a solvent that used to also be used as a general anesthetic.


Camphor: A crystalline compound used in insect repellent, as well as plastic and explosive production.


Carbolic acid: Also known as phenol, carbolic acid is a highly poisonous compound in antimicrobial and anesthetic solutions.


Quinine: A bitter alkaloid used to treat forms of malaria.


Acetone: A liquid made from oxidized isopropanol used as a solvent.


Just reading that list of additives is enough to make you sick.  The government added rat poison, which is defies logic how the government didn't think that 'liquor' wasn't lethal enough to kill.

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Quote of the Day - Heart

HEART

Did You Know? Ancient Inventions You Thought Were Modern

 

It is surprising how many things we use every day that have been in use by humans for thousands of years. This list of ten things all predate the birth of Christ and they are all things that we are familiar with and might be regular users of some.

Plastic surgery was performed in India in 2000 BC,
but its successfulness was in the eyes of the beholder

------

.

Teeth were excavated and found to be over 9000 years old

.

----

Cataracts are not a new phenomenon.  As early as 6th century BC,
cataract surgeries were performed

.

-------

Central heating systems were used from 1000 BC
in Ancient Roman civilization and ancient Korea

.

---------

Ancient Assyrians knew about lenses over 3000 years ago

.

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In 3000 BC, a system of weights and measures was devised
to replace using an arm or hand a guide

.

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Perfume dates back more than 4000 years

-----

Ice skates date back to 200 AD

-----

Plumbing Pipes date  back to 2700 BC

-----

Plywood is not a new invention, it's been made
for thousands of years

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Funny of the Day

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Did You Know? History Repeats Itself

You have probably heard the phrase "history repeats itself" used in a number of different quotes.
   

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." 

The above quote is attributed to writer-philosopher George Santayana (1863-1952).  In its original form, it read, 

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Sometimes the quote is changed around to make a particular point.

In 1948, Winston Churchill said: 

"Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it."

And sometimes it is so mangled that it doesn't even resemble the original quote.  This version is attributed to Mark Twain as researched by the Quote Investigator:

"History does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes."

Here is a website that found ten of the worst ways that history has repeated itself.   

https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/10-worst-ways-history-has-repeated-itself.htm

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Quote of the Day - Henry D. Thoreau

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Did You Know? Storing Chocolate

Chocolate Doesn’t Belong In The Fridge (Sorry)

I know a lot of people absolutely love cold chocolate, but the ideal temperature for chocolate is actually between 65 and 68°F, which is much warmer than the average refrigerator.

If you live in a warm climate, it is OK
to store your chocolate in the fridge.

Only store your chocolate in the fridge if you live in a very warm part of the world and your chocolate is at risk of melting completely. 

If you really love super cold chocolate though,  feel free to keep eating it that way.

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Quote of the Day - Hesitation Comes At A Cost

Hesitation could cost more than embarrassment

Did You Know? Greek Prostitutes

Greek Prostitutes advertised their services by
 leaving messages with their sandals

The brothels of Solon provided a service which was accessible to all, regardless of income or gender. One obolus is one sixth of one drachma, the daily salary of a public servant at the end of the 5th century BC. 

By the middle of the 4th century BC, this salary was up to a drachma and a half.) In the same light, Solon used taxes he levied on brothels to build a temple to Aphrodite Pandemos (literally "Aphrodite of all the people". 

Even if the historical accuracy of these anecdotes can be doubted, it is clear that classical Athens considered prostitution to be part of its democracy.

In regards to price, there are numerous allusions to the price of one obolus for a cheap prostitute; no doubt for basic acts. It is difficult to assess whether this was the actual price or a proverbial amount designating a "good deal".

Independent prostitutes who worked the street were on the next higher level. Besides directly displaying their charms to potential clients they had recourse to publicity; sandals with marked soles have been found which left an imprint on the ground that stated ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΕΙ AKOLOUTHEI ("Follow me").

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_ancient_Greece#Pornai

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Quote of the Day - God Is Waiting

Just remember . . .

Did You Know? Thomas Jefferson, Inventor

Inventions by Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson loved to invent gadgets. He helped advance the science of agriculture by inventing a plow that was easier to pull. He also created an updated sundial in the form of a sphere. 

Biographical facts about Thomas Jefferson

But his coolest work was to help out American spies during the Revolutionary War. He invented this “wheel cipher,” (see picture) which was an iron pin containing 26 spinning wooden disks that could be used to decipher coded messages. That way, the British couldn't read any messages they managed to intercept.

More inventions by Thomas Jefferson

Among his other inventions were:

- Dumbwaiter for his wine bottles
- The hideaway bed
- The pedometer
- The polygraph (not a lie detector - it was a copying machine)
- A revolving book stand
- The spherical sundial
- An improved swivel chair

Some more inventions by Thomas Jefferson

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Quote of the Day - Before You Speak

Think before you speak

Did You Know? Almost Buried Alive

In 1915, a woman was late to her sister's funeral and told the undertaker she wanted to see her sister one last time. When the coffin was opened, the dead woman sat up and smiled, and she lived another 47 years.


Personal note: I would have died and taken her place in the coffin.


It's a true story! The 'dead' woman's name was Essie Dunbar and she really did live another 47 years.

You can read the story  here:

https://www.calebwilde.com/2014/05/true-story-essie-dunbar-lived-47-years-after-she-was-buried-alive/

Quote of the Day - Guilt Trips

Don't be manipulated

Did You Know? Strange Laws Around The World

- In Birmingham, England, it is illegal for a man and a woman to have sex on church steps after sundown.

- In London, England, it is illegal to use a camera tripod, throw a stick for your dog or use an offensive powder like pepper on your jacket potato in any park.

- In London, England, wife beating is legal just as long as it is not after 9pm and it doesn't disturb the neighbours.

- In London, England, it is illegal to impersonate a Chelsea pensioner which once carried the death sentence in the 19th century.

- In Lebanon men are allowed to have sex with any other animal just as long as it is a female. If a man is caught having sex with a male animal then the penalty is death.

- Non-Christians have been banned from being within 20 metres of churches in Rovato, Italy. The move, instigated by the local government, has angered police because a major highway passes within 15 metres of one of the churches. Officers claim that they cannot be expected to stop motorists and demand to see a Baptism Certificate.

- North Carolina has a law to ban people from swearing in front of cadavers. The law also sets out guidelines transporting the recently deceased after one funeral firm was caught piling stiffs onto the back of a pick-up truck. It outlaws 'profanity, indecent or obscene language in the presence of a dead human body' making it technically illegal to say the 'f' word in front of a hearse!

- In Minnesota, USA, it is still against the law to hang male and female underwear together on the same washing line.

- In Indiana, USA, in the 1950's anything to do with Robin Hood was banned on the grounds that robbing from from the rich to give to the poor was a communist act!

- In England, in 1837, a law was passed that entitled a woman to bite off a man's nose if he kissed her against her will!

- The Egyptian government banned male belly-dancing in 1837 because of the enthusiastic riots that it caused.

- In Arizona, USA, it is illegal to hunt camels.

- In California, USA, in 1986, Judge Samuel King became so annoyed that jurors were absent from his court because of heavy rain that he issued a decree which stated "I hereby order that it cease raining by Tuesday." Amazingly it stopped raining on Tuesday and California suffered a 5 year drought. In 1991 the judge then decreed "Rain shall fall in California beginning February 27th." Later that day California had the heaviest rainfall in ten years.

- In Alexandria, Minneapolis, USA, it is against the law for a man to make love to a woman with the smell of sardines on his breath.

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