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The Fairbanks Museum Radon Education Program is designed is to educate the public about the nature of radon and radioactivity, radon's occurrence in the environment, its potential health risks, and methods for dealing with those risks on a family level. Where does Radon come from? Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas formed in the earth's crust by the radioactive decay of Uranium-238. Uranium is very common in some of the types of rocks found in Vermont. As Uranium decay radioactively it emits two types of high- energy particles, alpha and beta particles. Alpha particles can damage the delicate, unprotected cells of lung tissue. How does it enter your home? Radon is an odorless, tasteless, colorless gas which can move freely through spaces in the rocks and soil and into cracks in the foundations of buildings. Radon can accumulate in buildings which are closed or that have poor air circulation. It mixes with the air we breathe and enters our lungs without our knowledge. For most of us, radon is the source of our greatest exposure to harmful radiation during our life times.