Just want to add a practical consideration: obviously, a life is priceless, but something to keep in mind and consider is that some states require disclosure to prospective buyers of radon test results that are done on homes (even though the state may not require the testing). So there are financial considerations in terms of impacting home value when considering home radon tests.
tmccpa - You're right that radon and radium are different, but both are radioactive and deadly. Radon is NOT harmless. Check Wikipedia. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer. It is not appropriate anywhere to spread incorrect information.
I don't think this is the appropriate place for this debate. However, you need to go back to Chemistry class. Radon gas and radium are not the same at all, there is a world of difference between them. Radon gas would not have hurt Marie Curie at all.
Neither radon nor global warming is a scam, per se. Ask the people of Greenland and Bangladesh and New Jersey!
There may be - probably are scam artists who promise to fix radon, and either don't do it, or it is unnecessary. But Radon gas is like the radium that killed Marie Curie. If you have a high concentration in your house, it WILL cause cancer.
I'm very sorry to hear of Sally's death, and I know we are always looking for a definitive answer as to "why" and "how did this happen?" However, my husband is a chemical engineer with knowledge of this sort of thing, and radon is a scam which ranks right up there with global warming. The earth naturally gives off these gases but it would take so much more than can be built up in the home that it is not harmful at all. If you are worried about it, open a window. And as for toxic mold, it is mildew...so get out some bleach and clean it up, don't spend thousands of dollars unnecessarily. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Sometimes, we just don't know why.
Another insightfull article from Marlis. The caregiving for Sally was a great gift for her. It allowed her to die with loved ones at her side. Radon is a killer and is present in many homes. Mitigation can be quite expensive so it is important to have any new home tested before moving in. As far as Sally's question about her imminent death, I think it is always important to answer truthfully and lovingly because the dying person already knows the answer. As we have explored elsewhere on this blog doctors are reluctant to give patients bad news or maybe in this case just did not know and was hoping for the best. Unfortunately for Sally a very bad train of events led to her untimely death. The one bright spot is that she managed to hang on, as so many dying people do to see her new grandbaby
We go through life taking risks daily. We educate ourselves, & do the best we can to choose wisely, what & how much risk we will take. Some love risk-taking & repeatedly up-their-ante--that adrenaline rush is what they seek as they choose to live dangerously.
Some Management I've encountered have used that fact to knowingly coerce employees to take greater risks, telling them to compare what they want employees to risk [like unknown amounts of radiation exposures in test situations, test drugs, etc.], to daily average risks such as driving a car--a manipulative tactic that has coerced people into getting themselves killed or piteously disabled before their time--yet those managers feel they are doing a good thing, rarely considering that might be unethical, or even the farther reaching costs to everyone from the damages. They play on employees fears of losing their jobs, or tease them with promises of a bonus--bonuses which rarely begin to cover costs of damages. They are, in effect, taking away the employees' free will by obstructing knowledge of the real risks they'd be taking.
Sometimes, we choose, due to inadequate finances, or other seemingly reasonable reasons, not to take precautions we might otherwise have taken--maybe that was why this woman didn't get radon testing? At any rate, she made a choice. The neighbor also made a choice: he never approached the woman again, to try to educate her of the risks--like, if he knew their area had high radon, he simply could have told her that, and what harm it causes.
Sometimes, it's incompetent hospital workers, or relatives doing caregiving desperate to get time away, that cause a chain of unfortunate events resulting in premature death of someone. This happened to one of my Gma's. While the professionals in charge of her care were absolutely culpable for malpractice, & too easily got out of that, if one looked at the bigger picture, her caregiver was at her limits in every possible way & needed to get away so badly, that she booked G'ma into a home-care arrangement for a week, telling that management, "Oh yes, she can take care of her basic needs herself", when in fact, she couldn't--she needed help transferring from bed to potty chair. She fell, fractured her back, & the cascade of preventable, awful events spun out from there, resulting in her death a few days later. The best we could do was reassure her that her lifetime spiritual beliefs were indeed true, to stop doubting them; that she was going to a far better place, without any pain; that she could still observe those she cared about, she'd not miss anything! Things were going to be far better for her on the other side--she would see heaven. We assured her we would stay with her at her side, helping her go through her transition, that we loved her dearly & appreciated all she'd been able to do for us while growing up.
Love is the key. People make choices that are good, bad, or indifferent. There are no "do-overs". But there IS unconditional love & acceptance that things have been as they WERE. We can redirect ourselves to the present, stop saying "what if". What is NOW? How best can we tell someone we love them, despite their choices, despite the impending loss, despite what they may have done that hurt us, or whatever? We can love them as they are, right now, in this moment. We can tell someone we love them, AND can keep our distance if we need to protect ourselves from that person causing us further harm --still love that person, & dislike past bad behaviors People are not their behaviors as much as they are injured children inside--if that is an issue you are grappling with-- --you can choose to see/acknowledge the frightened child inside that dying person, who very much needs someone to tell them everything is going to be OK--a bit of nurturing to quell their fears. It is the last, best, non-judgmental, unconditional love gift one can give anyone, AND oneself--even if it can only be done from a safe distance. In the end, there is no good excuse for recriminations, guilt, "what-if's", etc.--those are "past tense".
In the end, how & what we choose to do or say for/to someone else, affects us each deeply, sometimes greater by far--& longer-- than it affects the receiving person. That is why Unconditional Love is the most important, the strongest tool anyone has, no matter what.
Radon? I thought that the Radon tests were mandatory in most areas. Have your house inspected about every three years. Sorry to hear about Sally's death.
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Lung Cancer; An Unnecessary Death
You're right that radon and radium are different, but both are radioactive and deadly. Radon is NOT harmless. Check Wikipedia. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer. It is not appropriate anywhere to spread incorrect information.
There may be - probably are scam artists who promise to fix radon, and either don't do it, or it is unnecessary. But Radon gas is like the radium that killed Marie Curie. If you have a high concentration in your house, it WILL cause cancer.
As far as Sally's question about her imminent death, I think it is always important to answer truthfully and lovingly because the dying person already knows the answer.
As we have explored elsewhere on this blog doctors are reluctant to give patients bad news or maybe in this case just did not know and was hoping for the best.
Unfortunately for Sally a very bad train of events led to her untimely death. The one bright spot is that she managed to hang on, as so many dying people do to see her new grandbaby
Some love risk-taking & repeatedly up-their-ante--that adrenaline rush is what they seek as they choose to live dangerously.
Some Management I've encountered have used that fact to knowingly coerce employees to take greater risks, telling them to compare what they want employees to risk [like unknown amounts of radiation exposures in test situations, test drugs, etc.], to daily average risks such as driving a car--a manipulative tactic that has coerced people into getting themselves killed or piteously disabled before their time--yet those managers feel they are doing a good thing, rarely considering that might be unethical, or even the farther reaching costs to everyone from the damages. They play on employees fears of losing their jobs, or tease them with promises of a bonus--bonuses which rarely begin to cover costs of damages.
They are, in effect, taking away the employees' free will by obstructing knowledge of the real risks they'd be taking.
Sometimes, we choose, due to inadequate finances, or other seemingly reasonable reasons, not to take precautions we might otherwise have taken--maybe that was why this woman didn't get radon testing?
At any rate, she made a choice.
The neighbor also made a choice: he never approached the woman again, to try to educate her of the risks--like, if he knew their area had high radon, he simply could have told her that, and what harm it causes.
Sometimes, it's incompetent hospital workers, or relatives doing caregiving desperate to get time away, that cause a chain of unfortunate events resulting in premature death of someone.
This happened to one of my Gma's.
While the professionals in charge of her care were absolutely culpable for malpractice, & too easily got out of that, if one looked at the bigger picture, her caregiver was at her limits in every possible way & needed to get away so badly, that she booked G'ma into a home-care arrangement for a week, telling that management, "Oh yes, she can take care of her basic needs herself", when in fact, she couldn't--she needed help transferring from bed to potty chair.
She fell, fractured her back, & the cascade of preventable, awful events spun out from there, resulting in her death a few days later.
The best we could do was reassure her that her lifetime spiritual beliefs were indeed true, to stop doubting them; that she was going to a far better place, without any pain; that she could still observe those she cared about, she'd not miss anything! Things were going to be far better for her on the other side--she would see heaven. We assured her we would stay with her at her side, helping her go through her transition, that we loved her dearly & appreciated all she'd been able to do for us while growing up.
Love is the key.
People make choices that are good, bad, or indifferent.
There are no "do-overs".
But there IS unconditional love & acceptance that things have been as they WERE.
We can redirect ourselves to the present, stop saying "what if".
What is NOW?
How best can we tell someone we love them, despite their choices, despite the impending loss, despite what they may have done that hurt us, or whatever?
We can love them as they are, right now, in this moment.
We can tell someone we love them, AND can keep our distance if we need to protect ourselves from that person causing us further harm
--still love that person, & dislike past bad behaviors
People are not their behaviors as much as they are injured children inside--if that is an issue you are grappling with--
--you can choose to see/acknowledge the frightened child inside that dying person, who very much needs someone to tell them everything is going to be OK--a bit of nurturing to quell their fears.
It is the last, best, non-judgmental, unconditional love gift one can give anyone,
AND oneself--even if it can only be done from a safe distance.
In the end, there is no good excuse for recriminations, guilt, "what-if's", etc.--those are "past tense".
In the end, how & what we choose to do or say for/to someone else, affects us each deeply, sometimes greater by far--& longer-- than it affects the receiving person. That is why Unconditional Love is the most important, the strongest tool anyone has, no matter what.