Every American home is at risk from the harmful effects of radon.
Undetectable by human senses, radon gas may be accumulating in your house without you noticing. It’s a great concern that the U.S.
Environment Protection Agency (US EPA) and the Surgeon General’s Office attributed 20,000 lung cancer deaths to radon each year.
Furthermore, around one in every 15 U.S. homes has radon levels at or above the US EPA action level.
Fortunately, there are types of equipment that can detect radon levels, and if found to be higher than safe level, it can be lowered by radon mitigation services.
Here are 5 important things every homeowner should know about radon:
What Is Radon?
Decaying uranium on the soil creates this radioactive gas. Uranium is a naturally occurring gas in almost every soil – it’s not exclusive to nuclear waste sites only. Radon is harmless in small quantities but can cause lung cancer if past safe levels.
The U.S. EPA recommends taking action to reduce radon in homes that have a radon level at or above 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) of air.
While radon can easily dissipate when outdoors, it can accumulate inside homes when air doesn’t circulate well.
Radon testing is recommended for every home. But if circumstance still won’t allow you to go through this process, here are some steps you can do to perform some DIY radon mitigation yourself:
- Seal all cracks and openings in your home, particularly in the lower area like the basement.
- Open windows in the lowest level of your home to improve air circulation.
- Install a positive ion ceiling fan to make radon particles heavier and have them stick to the walls instead of going to your lungs.
While these steps are by no means the most effective way of mitigating high radon levels, performing these steps can help prevent more build-ups.
How Radon Enters Your House
Since uranium exists in almost every rock and soil, every house is at risk. Uranium presence in soils can be intensified by certain types of fertilizers too.
Radon can come from your backyard or even underneath the ground. It can seep through small pores in the basement’s concrete slab. Cracks can create a huge entry point for these particles to enter.
However, radon does not transfer between houses. If your neighbor has a high concentration, this harmful gas will have dissipated outdoors before it reaches your home.
How to Do Radon Testing in your Home
There are three types of testing approach to help you determine the levels of radon in your home:
Short-term testing
This is useful as a preliminary test which takes from two to seven days. A lab will analyze the results and will inform you if you’re below the threshold.
Long-term radon testing
Most radon mitigation services offer residential radon testing that can measure levels from 90 days to one year. This provides more accurate results. The length of the testing period can better capture the fluctuation of radon in your home.
Continuous radon monitoring
Similar to carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, these electric monitors are used to monitor radon levels in your home on a daily basis. These testing kits are usually available from online retailers. Installing it is just a matter of plugging it into an outlet.
What Happens if There are High Levels of Radon
If you’re using short-term testing and the results show high levels of radon, you should try and test it again for better accuracy.
However, it’s best to contact the nearest radon mitigation services in your area to conduct their own test. If it registers past the threshold still, these experts will immediately recommend the best course of action that they will take to mitigate radon in your house.
How to Mitigate Radon Levels
The DIY radon mitigation process you learned earlier should be complemented by the procedures that radon mitigation services will perform.
Normally, they will install a system that will suck out the radon in your basement or other problem areas. A pipe with a fan will be installed directing radon particles out of your home, either past your roof or out to the side of your house at ground level.
Trust Your Local Radon Mitigation Services
Aurora radon mitigation is the same as other radon mitigation companies in any state. They follow standard procedures in getting rid of high radon concentration in houses.