Why Is Ventilation Very Important If There Is A Risk Of Exposure To Radon Gas In The House Or School?
Using Radon Detectors to Find Out About the Extent of the Radon Exposure
Inhaling radon is more than just risky, this gas is held responsible for thousands of cases of lung cancer signaled every year all over the globe. Unfortunately, there are almost no reliable ways to predict the presence or the concentration of radon in a certain area, and not even geological studies can be of any help here. This is why, the only way to prevent poisoning is by means of special radon detectors; the use of such devices is an absolute must particularly since two house located next to one another may have completely different radon exposure levels. Measurements to detect the presence of the gas are mainly performed in the basement, and here is the place where radon detectors are generally installed.
There are several types of radon detectors used to track the gas level in an enclosed space. The most commonly used are the alpha-track devices that rely on the use of small sheets of polycarbonate plastic material. The moment the alpha particles come into direct contact with these plastic sheets, they create some tiny pockmarks that are afterwards identified and analyzed in labs. Depending on the counting of the pockmarks, the level of radon concentration will be higher or lower.
Radon detectors are designed either for long or for short-term use; the latter for instance may require a period varying between two and ninety days for an accurate data collection. The important thing to mention here is that the long-term radon detectors are more reliable than the others, since they provide an average value of the radon level. Why does the average value matter so much? Well, radon gas concentration varies from one day to the other, and there is a whole range of environmental factors that influence such alternations; cold vs. hot weather, air circulation in the house and moisture are only a few factors to be mentioned here.
Radon detectors may also help one find out about the extent of the radon exposure threat starting from the number of hours the house is inhabited per day. Windows opening and closing are equally important here since they are both connected to the time you spend at home. Besides the use of radon detectors, simple measures should be taken to ensure the safety of the family members; thus, ventilation systems installed in the basement, the sealing of holes, cracks and even piping joints, the pressurization of the house by means of fans, they are all ways to maintain a radon-free environment.
Understanding The Seriousness Of Exposure To Radon
Although radon has been around since the late 1800's, there are a lot of people who do not know what radon is and the dangers that are associated with it.
Radon is a natural gas; it is the by-product of uranium, which is found in most soil in the United States.
It is an odorless, colorless gas that can be found in homes, schools public buildings and even churches. It can be found in the soil and even the water.
Radon is radioactive and it can be potentially deadly if it is not found in time.
Scientific research has proven that Radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. It is frightening to think that if a person smokes tobacco and breathes in radon gas, that person is doubling their risk of developing lung cancer. Radon does not have any symptoms until it is too late. In the United States today, over two billion dollars are spent every year on radon related cancer costs.
Our children are our most precious commodities and we send them to school each day for a proper education. If there is radon in the schools, our children are breathing this poison nine months out of the year for twelve years. It can take years for radon poisoning to take its toll.
The American Lung Association, National Safety Council, the Environmental Protection Agency, American Medical Association unanimously agree that testing your home is critical to the overall health and well being of your family.
There are ways to lower radon levels to an acceptable limit. Most of the time, the cost is minimal. The do-it-yourself enthusiast can do it for less than five hundred dollars.
If you are hesitant to do it yourself because of what is at stake, then you can hire a professional to remove the radon from your home.
It is alarming to learn that the radiation that is in radon gas is the same radiation that is found in Plutonium. It is equally alarming to learn that a person living in a home with this substance is being exposed at a rate of thirty- five times higher than the NRC (Nuclear regulatory commission) allows for a radio active waste disposal site.
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) established that one in one hundred thousand people would die from carcinogens. The death rate for radon is one in one hundred. These numbers are appalling.
This dangerous substance has been a threat for a long time and has been found in homes in every state in the United States. Until recent decades, no one really thought too much about it. Now that we know how dangerous it is, steps have been taken to either reduce the radon to an acceptable level or eliminate it all together.
