How Do You Check Your Home For Radon Gas?
I am living in a high risk area for radon gas in homes.
I am wondering if anybody out there
ever tested their house for
radon and how hard it was to do.
I think you can get a kit from Lowe's to test for it
but I could not find anything saying if it is easy
for a non-scientifically oriented person to run the test.
Is It Important To Test My Home For Radon?
Are there any homes more vulnerable to Radon than others?
Will A Radon Mitigation System For Reducing Radon Gas Work In A Home With A Granite Foundation?
We are buying a home with a granite foundation built in 1933, in mass. Will a radon mitigation system help with high levels of radon even if the radon is coming from the granite walls themselves? Our reading was a 4.2, thanks
Can Having Radon Gas In Home Make Health Problems Worse?
radon gas was detected in a home were buying but a system was put in to help. can radon make you health worse in terms of having hep c and heart disease.also can it harm cats.
Home Health: the Radon Issue
An issue that seems to be of great concern to home owners these days is Radon. Radon is a radioactive gas that is produced by the natural decay of uranium found in soil. The fact that it is naturally occurring and incredibly harmful has become a major point of worry for many people. Radon has been linked to the development of lung cancer. In fact Radon is one of the leading causes of lung cancer in non-smokers in America. Radon has no odor, color or smell and as such is difficult to detect. This risk of lung cancer is increased exponentially if you are a smoker so it pays to take the time to find out what the radon level of your home is. The critical number here is 4pCi/L or pico curies per liter. If your home has a level of 4 or above then action should be taken.
Testing the home for Radon can be done in one of two ways: you can call a certified professional to come and run some tests in your home, or you can buy testing equipment yourself and test you own home. The important thing is that you find out if you have unsafe Radon levels in the first place. Homes that draw on well water have a greater risk of Radon presence. The problem is not the Radon Gas itself but the resulting particles that are left over when the gas breaks down. It is the decay products that are in fact carcinogenic.
Getting rid of the Radon in a home can be a difficult experience. Usually this involved the use of a Radon Mitigation System. The kind of system employed in any given home will depend on what kind of foundation the home has. Typically systems will one of two things: attempt to stop Radon from entering the home entirely or reduce the levels of Radon once it has entered. Obviously the best system is that which stops Radon from entering in the first place. Starting the search for Radon in your home is a step in the right direction to improving your health and the well-being of your family. And you really cannot put a price on that can you?
Radon Gas In The Home Can Be Dangerous To Your Health
Most people are familiar with the dangers of carbon monoxide, but very few know of the dangerous gas, radon, that can be in found in your home. And, like carbon monoxide, radon exposure causes serious threats to health, and thousands of deaths a year.
Scientific studies indicate it is the second leading cause of lung cancer with smokers having eight times the risk of non-smokers to radon exposure. It is estimated by the U.S. Environmental Protective Agency and the Surgeon General?s Office that 20,000 people die each year from radon exposure and is responsible for over $2 billion a year in health care costs.
I didn?t know what radon was until I did some research on it. The dictionary defines radon as a colorless, radioactive, inert gaseous element formed by disintegration of radium. Radon is found beneath your home in the soil, of naturally decaying radium and uranium the soil, rock and water and gets into the air you breathe. So when you breathe the air that has radon, (you are actually breathing a radioactive gas), your chances for lung cancer increase especially if you are a smoker according to the Surgeon General. Radon can enter your home or any type of building through well water supply, cracks in the floors, walls, service pipes, gaps and cracks in the building materials of your home and the amount of radon varies with each house. Soil and water are the two main sources of radon entering your home.
It is estimated that one out of fifteen homes in the U.S. test for elevated radon levels. Radon is odorless, colorless, tasteless and invisible. The only way to know if your home has elevated radon levels is to test for it. The good news is that there are a number of things you can do to protect you and your loved ones. First, buyer-beware. If you are planning on purchasing an existing home, or renting an apartment, it is important to have the structure tested for elevated radon levels. If you are considering building a new home, you can include radon resistant features, or ask the builder of a new home if it has these features. Testing is very easy and inexpensive and home kits are available in hardware stores, through the mail and internet sources for measuring levels of radon. Of course you can always hire a qualified tester to do it for you through your State Radon Office.
If your home tests for elevated levels of radon, there are a few things you can do. One way to reduce the levels of radon in your home is to use a soil suction radon reduction system (a vent pipe and a fan), and sealing foundation cracks and openings. Warm air rises in the house and exits through the attic and upper floor windows creating a suction action, pulling radon out of the soil up into the house, much like a chimney. Once you have tested and taken preventative measures, it is important to monitor any radon leaks that might occur by installing a radon detector. We have all heard about how every home should have a carbon monoxide detector, and smoke alarms. A good radon detector should be added to this list for the safety of you and your family.
Protecting Your Home from Radon: A Step by Step Manual for Radon Reduction
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