Word: dust
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...disperses quickly in the atmosphere. Indoors, however, radon can build up to a deadly concentration, entering buildings through their foundations, creeping through cracks in floors, foundation walls and sewer pipes. The gas quickly decays further into other elements, including radioactive bismuth and polonium, which can adhere to dust particles, be inhaled and become lodged in the respiratory system. No immediate physical symptoms occur; radon cancers have a 20-year latency period...
...combat possible radon pollution. They can order testing devices called Track Etch from Terradex, a Walnut Creek, Calif.-based firm. If homeowners then detect dangerous concentrations of radon indoors, they should seal cracks and openings in basements with epoxy sealants, ventilate buildings with heat exchangers, and remove indoor airborne dust with high-quality air-cleaning systems. Average cost to radonproof a house: $1,000 to $5,000. Unfortunately homeowners must bear the cost. Many insurance companies have said that they are not liable for radon contamination, and because the substance occurs naturally, no company or agency can be sued...
...Stava, a popular vacation town in Italy's rugged Dolomite mountains, tourists were returning to their hotels for lunch last Friday. Shortly afternoon, there was a rumbling in the ground, followed by a cloud of white dust that some mistook for smoke. "I thought it was an earthquake," said one survivor. "The mountainside exploded." Less than a mile north of the village, a pair of earthen dams had suddenly collapsed. An avalanche of water, mud and debris swept through Stava, scarring the mountainsides, destroying three hotels, burying homes and scattering bodies in its path. The deluge, some 100 ft. high...
...Digital single-lens-reflex (SLR) cameras are vulnerable to dust settling on the imaging sensor when you change the lens. Result: black dots on your pictures. The Olympus Evolt E-300 digital SLR ($1,000; with starter lens) solves the problem by covering the imaging sensor with a transparent ultrasonic panel that shakes off offending particles at 35,000 vibrations per second...
...casinos, which raked in a staggering revenue of $5 billion in 2004 (about the same as that of the Las Vegas Strip) and are tipped to trump that this year. All the more reason, then, to take in the city's fast-fading heritage before it turns to dust. If you have 45 minutes to spare between poker table and roulette wheel, try Walk the Talk Macau, a lively new audio tour accessible via your cell phone. Devised and narrated by former bankers (and Macau aficionados) Stefan White and David Wong, the tour includes many of the city's historic...