Radon

What Are The Symptoms of Radon Poisoning?

Radon Gas is odorless, colorless and tasteless, but it is a potentially dangerous gas. Radon comes from the decay of uranium and radium in the soil underneath your home. Radon escapes the soil and seeps into your home. It can be highly toxic and dangerous for your family if it is not tested and corrected in a fair amount of time. Radon unless it is tested for is extremely hard to detect in someone. Radon can cause lung cancer through inhalation of the air you breathe and stomach cancer is caused by a high level of Radon in the water supply, you should have your water supply checked. Contact your water supplier for more information.

These cancers have certain symptoms that are associated with Radon, they include a new cough that only gets worse and will not go away. Coughing up blood is another symptom as is chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing or hoarseness and chronic pneumonia or bronchitis. Radon does not offer any real early warning signs, if you are exposed to Radon for along period of time you wouldn’t even know it. An alarming fact is that 15% of lung cancer patients had no symptoms at they time they were even diagnosed.

The best prevention to these symptoms is to have your home tested every 6 months. Symptoms of Radon Poisoning come after you are already sick, prevention is the best course of action. You can buy these tests from Home Depot and Lowe’s. The EPA recommends doing the short term test which last 2 to 3 days. You will send the results to a lab included in the kit and within a few weeks you will have your result.

To further avoid these potential deadly symptoms, you can take a look around your home to see what you can do to fortify it. This will include sealing up any cracks in the floors, walls and ceilings. Radon is most exposed in the lowest level of the home; if you have a basement then you may want to start there. Have a handyman come in and take a look at what you can do to prevent Radon from seeping into your home.

Keep in mind that your chances of getting lung cancer from Radon can depend on How much Radon is actually in your home, the amount of time you spend in your home and whether or not you are or ever were a smoker. The chances for lung cancer increase if you are a smoker. It is best to stop smoking (it is better for you anyway) and have Radon Removal Specialist install a Radon Mitigation System. It is never too late to decrease your chance of lung cancer you just have to take an active role in the process.

If you discover that your home has Radon, make an appointment for your doctor and have a physical. Let them know about the Radon and see what suggestions they can offer you to help stay lung cancer free.

Is There Radon in Water?

Radon is often defined as a gas that no color, no feel and no smell. It comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in the ground. Exposure to Radon comes in two forms, the first is from the air in your home and the second is in the drinking water. Most Radon found indoors comes from the soil from underneath your home when the uranium breaks down it seeps into the home. When Radon is detected in water it gets there as the gas breaks down and dissolves where it does gather in the water from underground called ground water that comes from wells.

As the Radon infested water is used for bathing, washing clothes, washing dishes and cooking, the water goes into the air where it become inhaled, a portion of Radon still remains in the water itself. You don’t have to worry about Radon in all forms of water, it is safe in rivers, lakes and even reservoirs, and this is called surface water. As we described Radon gets into the air as water evaporates into the air, which we inhale. This is when radon becomes dangerous, the radon breaks down into particles and travels to the lungs.

The percentage of Radon in the air from drinking water is small, only about 2%. Now the water that stays in the water, has a higher risk. People have a better chance of developing cancer in your internal organs such as stomach cancer. The risk of getting lung cancer from the radon in the drinking water is less. According to the National Academy of Science, the Environmental Protection Agency does estimate that Radon found in the drinking water causes roughly 168 deaths every year.

89% comes from the Radon in the air from water and 11% were diagnosed with stomach cancer by people who drank water with Radon. Using a water filter can help reduce those risks. Currently, there are no federal enforced standards for drinking water containing Radon. The EPA has suggested that Radon be regulated in the drinking water by community water suppliers. Though the EPA does not have any regulation authority over well water.

To test for Radon in the water your home gets from public water systems, you will want to find out where the water system does get the water from such as a reservoir, lake or river or though an underground source. If by chance the water comes from an underground source call your water system representative and find out when the last time Radon was checked and asked for the result.

If you have a private well, the EPA does recommend that you test your own drinking water. Call the Safe Drinking Water Hotline 1-800-426-4791 and they will give you phone numbers of state labs that are certified in testing drinking water. Having your water tested, you may incur a cost but it is well worth your health and the health of your family to find out what you are potentially putting into your body.

What is Radon Gas?

Radon Gas is a potential harmful gas that is colorless and odorless. We cannot see it, feel it or smell it, it is a potential danger to our health but we do breath Radon in through the outside air. There are acceptable levels of Radon; anything over 4 pCi/L is cause for concern.
Radon can cause thousands and thousands of death every year. Smoking is the number one cause for cancer; if you smoke you have an increased risk of getting lung cancer.

Radon’s radioactivity comes from the natural decay of chemicals, radium and uranium that can be found in the soil underneath your home. Every home is different and every soil content of Radon is different as well. Radon does escape and seep into the home, how much depends on the weather, the soil porosity (how much water the soil can hold), soil moisture and the suction that design of the house.

As your house warms up, as the heat in your home rises, it creates a sort of suction from the lowest level of your home, this helps pull in the Radon in from the soil. Radon can also get through into your home by cracks in solid flooring, any gaps in suspended flooring, any cracks in the walls and it can even get in through the water supply. There are steps that you can take to decrease the levels of Radon, you can fix any leaks in the floors, and ceilings and walls and you can have your water tested or invest in one of the water purifiers such as Britta or Pur.

Radon is not a common thing you think about testing your home for. It may though save your life. You can do the testing yourself by purchasing a Radon Kit at your local Home Depot, Lowe’s and Target Stores. Once the testing is done you will send the test out to a certified lab to get the most accurate readings. Once your results come back you can take the necessary steps to eliminate any Radon in your home.

Call a qualified Radon Mitigation Company, they will come assess your home and plan a course of action that will help save the life of your family. It is important to do something about your Radon problem, it will not go away and what makes it so scary is that you cannot see it or smell it. To rather be safe than sorry, get a couple of tests, since Radon levels tend to go up and down naturally doing a second test would be a good idea.

Do not panic, there are systems available to help eliminate Radon from your home. In the meantime as you are waiting for results do some preventative maintenance, repair cracked floors and walls. If you are a smoker do not smoke in the house or better yet consider quitting. Radon is a national health concern according to the EPA and isn’t your family’s health worth the test and the solution?

What Are The Effects of Radon?

Radon is known as the second leading cause of cancer, right behind smoking. It has also been called a national health concern by the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA. Of course Radon is hard to detect without testing specifically for it, since it has no smell, no feel and you cannot see it. Performing home testing is the best way to catch Radon early. You can find these kits in Home Depot and Lowe’s. It is an inexpensive way to test for a potential harmful cancer causing chemical in your home.

The effects of Radon are very serious and should be taken very seriously. In addition to lung cancer, Radon can also be associated with respiratory conditions such as emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, silicosis and respiratory lesions. As Radon Gas breaks down into small radioactive particles, they can become easily trapped in your lungs, this happens every time you take a breath.

The radioactive particles will continue to breakdown and release small energy bursts, this will cause the damage to your lungs and overtime lead to cancer. It may take years so treatment is very important and the quicker you test for Radon the quicker you can go to the doctor and inform him of your findings. A study has shown that children may have a greater cancer risk than adults for certain types of cancer from radon.

The main exposure to Radon comes from simply breathing. The health risk doesn’t come from the radon directly but from the radioactivity it produces from the decay in the Radon. Since radon cannot be detected without proper testing, often it is found after a diagnosis of lung cancer is determined. That is why it is imperative that you do the testing in your home whether you are renting or you own. Radon is heavier than air, so the higher concentrations will be in the lowest levels of the home such as the basement. If you live in a basement apartment it is highly recommended that you test for Radon.

Some symptoms include shortness of breath, wheezing, a new cough that does not get better, chest pain and coughing up blood just to name a few. Radon is not just found in domestic homes, it can be found in office buildings, apartment buildings and even schools. The risk of exposure to you and your family is the place where you spend most of your time.

Testing is the only sure fire way you will know whether you have been exposed. The testing method is inexpensive and easy to do, the results are sent to labs where it can determine a better accuracy than a home reading. Since Radon fluctuates naturally you may want to do the test twice to confirm the results. For more information, you can contact the Environmental Protection Agency. Your family’s health is the most important thing; why not spend the time and the expensive to ensure that they are living in a healthy environment.

Tips on Hiring The Best Radon Contractor

Now that you have discovered your levels of Radon are a bit high, you are ready to hire a contractor to help install a Radon Mitigation System.  Like any other contractor you have to do some research in order to find the best company for the job. You want to make sure that the job is being done for a great cost and by qualified technicians. Hiring a Radon Certified technician is no different than hiring a General Contractor for other home improvements.

The first thing you need to do is create a list of the contractors you are going to call. This will help you stay organized through the hiring process, call as many as you like but keep in mind that you don’t want high levels of Radon in your home any longer than you have to. Put together your list and start scheduling the contractors to come and provide you with an estimate.

When your Radon Contractor comes to your home ask them for some credentials and if possible some other customer recommendations. You will want to see that they have done this type of work before. Once you have their credentials, check them out. See if their license is good and they have valid insurance. You can check online or call the Better Business Bureau for information.

Once the contractor is done giving you an itemized estimate, always insist on an itemized estimate this way if you decide to hire them you can compare the estimate with the contract. If you know any other friends who have ever used Radon Contractors before or just General Contractors before, what their experience was like. Did they show up? Were they professional? Was the work completed on time?

Once you have done your background and reputation checks on your contractors compare the estimates and the work that they will do. A good contractor will basically have most of the itemized items the same. You don’t want to choose a Contractor who pads his estimate. Check all of the prices, they should all be in the same price range with each other, if a contractor has a price significantly higher than the others then you know he is not the one to hire.

Choose your contractor based on what type of work they will be doing, the time frame they can do it in and the price. Do not hand over any money until there is a signed contract. Also, make sure in your contract you get a guarantee that Radon levels will be at their lowest and also try to get a completion date.  Do not pay all upfront either, it is recommended that you pay 30% of the contract upfront. Always get a receipt every time you make a payment. Remember this is your family’s health you are protecting. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and make suggestions, a truly professional contractor will work with you every step of the way.

buyers

EPA Recommends:

  • If you are buying
    a home or selling your home, have it tested for radon.
  • For new homes, ask if radon resistant construction feature have been
    used.
  • Fix the home if the radon level is 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or
    higher.
  • Radon levels less than 4 pCi/L still pose a risk, and in many cases may
    be reduced.
  • Take steps to prevent device interference when conducting a radon test.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview

EPA has developed this guide to help home buyers and sellers
address 8 key questions about radon:

  1. Why Do You Need to Test for Radon?
  2. If You are Selling a Home, What Should You Do?
  3. If You are Buying a Home, What Should You Do?
  4. If You are Buying a Newly-Built Home, What
    Should You Do?
  5. How Can You Get Reliable Radon Test Results?
    1. Types of Radon Devices
    2. Length of Time to Test
    3. If You Conduct a Short-Term Test
    4. Using Testing Devices Properly (If You Do the
      Test Yourself)
    5. EPA’s Testing Checklist
    6. Getting Reliable Test Results (If You Hire a
      Professional Radon Tester)
    7. Interpreting Radon Test Results
  6. What Should You Do If You Find a High Radon
    Level?
  7. Radon Myths/Facts
  8. Where Can You Get More Information about
    Radon?

PLEASE NOTE: The information in these pages have been modified slightly from the original Agency publication to reflect changes in technical terminology, specifically, in the descriptions of radon measurement and mitigation service providers participating in EPA’s Radon Proficiency Program (RPP).

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reduce


Table of Contents

Overview

Introduction

How Radon Enters Your House

Radon is a Cancer-Causing Radioactive Gas

What Do Your Radon Test Results Mean?

Why Hire a Contractor ?

Why Use a State-Certified and/or Privately Certified
Radon Professional?

How to Select a Contractor

– Get Estimates

– The Contract

What to Look for in a Radon Reduction System

– Installation and Operating Costs

– How a Radon Reduction System May Affect Your Home

Radon Reduction Techniques

– House Foundation Types

—- Basement and Slab-on-Grade Houses

—- Crawlspace Houses

– Other Types of Radon Reduction Methods

Does Your Contractor’s Work Meet RPP Requirements?

Living in a House with a Radon Reduction System

– Maintaining Your Radon Reduction System

– Remodeling Your Home After Radon Levels Have Been Lowered

Buying or Selling a Home?

Do You Have a Well?: Radon in Water

– What Do the Results of Your Water Test Mean?

– How is Radon Removed from Water?

Installation and Operating Cost Table

State Radon and IAQ Contacts

How to Order This Guide

Overview

Reduce Radon Levels In Your Home

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. The Surgeon General and the EPA recommend testing for radon and reducing radon in homes that have high levels. Fix your home if your radon level is confirmed to be 4 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher. Radon levels less than 4 pCi/L still pose a risk, and in many cases may be reduced. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is especially high.

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citizen

EPA Recommends:

  • Test your home for radon — it’s easy and inexpensive.
  • Fix your home if your radon level is 4 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher.
  • Radon levels less than 4 pCi/L still pose a risk, and in many cases may be reduced.
radon risk bar chart Radon is
estimated to cause about 14,000 deaths per year. However, this number
could range from 7,000 to 30,000 deaths per year The numbers of deaths
from other causes are taken from 1990 National Safety Council reports.

Table of Contents

Overview

How Does Radon Get Into Your Home?

How to Test Your Home

What Your Test Results Mean

– Radon and Home Sales

– Radon in Water

How to Lower the Radon Levels in Your Home

The Risk of Living With Radon

Radon Risk Charts

Radon Myths

State Radon Contacts

 

Overview

Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas.

You can’t see radon. And you can’t smell it or taste it. But it may be a problem in your home.

Radon is estimated to cause many thousands ofdeaths each year. That’s because when you breathe air containing radon, you can get lung cancer. In fact, the Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is especially high.

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