(ORDO NEWS) — Another study was conducted, the results of which demonstrated that global warming, as well as the melting of permafrost, can cause the population of the Arctic to be exposed to dangerous radon. This gas can provoke the development of lung cancer.
Professor Paul Glover of the University of Leeds, along with his colleagues, believe that permafrost acts as a protective barrier and does not allow dangerous gas to escape to the Earth‘s surface.
Radon is a natural gas that is odorless and radioactive. It is he who causes one in ten deaths from lung cancer.
Also, gas adversely affects the health of smokers. In subarctic communities, where smoking is very common, the influence of radon provokes a fairly high percentage of mortality.
The study created a model of how the gas flows through the soil, then permafrost and spreads through buildings with underground as well as above-ground basements.
The buildings built on piles were no exception. The authors note the fact that in buildings that have basements, the radon level can increase by about 100 times when compared with those that were originally.
Detecting radon is extremely problematic, because it has no smell. The animals of the Arctic will not be able to detect its presence even with the help of their instincts and therefore will not even suspect that they are in some kind of danger.
They will continue to live in their usual territory, but at the same time, mortality due to the development of oncology will gradually increase.
The local population is also unlikely to be able to determine the presence of a huge amount of gas. This will require special equipment.
Scientists note that one could not worry about this if the permafrost was stable enough. To date, it is fixed that global warming provokes its too rapid melting.
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