Radon, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), is a natural gas. It is quite dangerous due to being radioactive and has been known to cause lung cancer. Furthermore, since it is odorless and invisible, the only way to know whether you’ve been exposed, and at what levels, is to test for its presence.
While you can purchase a residential radon testing kit to check your home, it makes sense to hire a local radon testing and mitigation service instead. This is because a radon testing and mitigation service will be able to provide the necessary abatement services. Furthermore, these specialists have taken accredited courses and are certified to perform these services.
If you already have a residential radon detection system, it would be a good idea to contact a local radon testing company to determine if it’s working properly.
The US EPA and the Surgeon General’s Office have found that there are an estimated 20,000 lung cancer deaths on an annual basis due to the effects of radon. In the United States, radon, according to the Surgeon General, is the second leading cause of lung cancer.
Scientists have estimated that if radon levels were lowered in those homes which exceed the EPA’s action levels, that the number of lung cancer deaths could be reduced by 5,000. Lung cancer risks can increase by16% per 100 Bq/m when as individual is exposed to average radon concentrations over a long period of time.
If your home has radon levels of 4 pCi/l, then it’s vital to contact a local radon mitigation company. This level of exposure, according to Nuclear Regulatory Commission figures, is 35 times the exposure allowed if you were to be standing by a radioactive waste site’s fence.
There are two types of detectors that measure radon levels. Depending on the device, short-term detectors
will take measurements from 2-to-90 days. A long-term test will be able to measure concentrations for over 90 days.
Currently, approximately one-out-of-every-fifteen homes exceed EPA radon action levels. Fortunately, however, indoor radon levels have been reduced by over 50% with passive mitigation systems. These levels can be even further reduced when radon ventilation fans are used.