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?