Your home should be one of the safest places you know.
This is one of many reasons why radon is such an insidious element. It has no discernible scent or color, able to crop up in or around your house with you none the wiser. Bad for your health and able to be breathed in for years without detection, Denver radon testing is a resource you should tap into sooner rather than later. Even if you’re positive your home is free from contamination, a little extra peace-of-mind won’t hurt. Your local radon testing company can do a series of tests over the course of a few days or a few months, making sure your home always stays a safe haven.
What is radon? Learn more about this dangerous element below.
Radon Is Widespread In American Homes
The first thing you need to know when asking, “What is radon?” is just how common it is. The U.S. EPA (or Environmental Protection Agency) has conducted multiple studies on this phenomenon, determining one out of three homes across seven states and three Indian lands to be dealing with excessive radon exposure. Additional surveys have stated one out of 15 American homes in general to have radon levels either at or above the EPA recommended level of exposure. What makes radon so difficult to deal with is how easily it can slip under your nose unnoticed.
This Gas Is Naturally Occurring And Highly Toxic
What is radon? It is a naturally occurring gas that is harmful to human health once it exceeds a certain level. It has no smell, no color and leaves no visible residue, making it even harder to track than other common household contaminants like mold and dust. Whether you have a sensitive constitution or not, constant exposure to radon will soon leave an irreversible impact on the health of your family. The Surgeon General has since released a statement that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.
The Short-Term Health Impact Is Noticeable
There are warning signs that can help you determine the possible presence of radon gas. Short-term impact can include chronic congestion, headaches, dizziness and nausea whenever you come home. Knowing for sure, however, requires the aid of a radon mitigation and abatement company. A family with a home possessing radon levels of 4 pCi/l is exposed to over 35 times as much radiation as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would allow if the family was next to the fence of a radioactive waste site.
Long-Term Exposure Can Cause Chronic Illness
As stated above, constant exposure to radon gas is more than just frustrating. It can actually lead to several chronic illnesses, including lung cancer. Scientists and doctors have teamed up to better understand the long-term impact of radon gas and, likewise, the lives that could be saved if it were reduced. Lung cancer deaths could be reduced by 2% to 4% (that’s over 5,000 lives) every year if radon levels in homes were moved below the EPA’s recommended action level. To date, over 20,000 deaths are caused either entirely or partially by radon gas exposure every year.
Radon Abatement Services Are A Necessary Buffer
What is radon? It needs to be removed as soon as possible. There are multiple methods radon abatement services can use to clear your home. Short-term detectors are able to measure radon levels between two and 90 days, depending on the devices used, and long-term tests will go beyond 90 days in more extreme cases. Your risk of lung cancer increases by 15% per 100 Bq/m in long time average exposure. On the other hand, even passive systems of mitigation have been shown to reduce indoor radon levels by more than 50% at a time.
A radon gas removal system is the only way to know for sure your home is safe. Protect your family by reaching to a local sump pump excavation service this year.