Radon
Radon is one of the most prevalent air quality health risks currently known. Radon is found in many areas of the United States.
What is Radon?
Radon is a gas created by the radioactive decay of rocks and minerals under the ground.
Homes built above areas with decomposing rocks such as granite can be susceptible to indoor radon levels. Radon emits from rocks decomposing over time. Radioactive particles are released from the bedrock and seep up through the soil into a home's foundation radon seeps through cracks and open areas in the foundation and enters the home through cracks in the floor through walls and other openings that are exposed to the foundation. Radon is invisible, odorless, tasteless, and virtually undetectable without special measuring devices.
Is Radon Dangerous?
Radon is known to cause lung cancer with continued exposure. Experts warn that levels over 4 pCi/L will pose a significant health risk. While it is also understood that there is no safe, absolutely safe level of radon exposure, the lower the level the better, the optimal level would be zero pCi/L radon in the air. Radon is the number 2 cause of lung cancer in North America. The highest cause of lung cancer is from smoking. So the risk from radon exposure is not to be downplayed.
How to determine if radon is in your home. Many areas of the West have rocks that are emitting radon including granite. If you live in an area that is known to have radon, it is important to test your house as every location and building method can vary or have variable levels of radon indoors. For a few days or weeks to measure radon doors and windows are kept closed to ensure the most accurate reading for radon. Also, monitors exist that can measure your home in real time for extended periods of months or years. Radon levels tend to be higher during colder months when the heat from your house can draw up gases from the crawl space or basement into your living area. Also, the colder air usually means that crawl space vents are closed, reducing the amount of crossdraft that your crawl space will receive. This allows radon to accumulate under your home and seep in. The best time to do a radon test is when all doors and windows are closed and when it's winter time.
Can radon be eliminated?
Radon can be mitigated to acceptible levels. Some radon being present in the home is always expected when ambient air has detectible radon levels. Homes can be fit with radon mitigation systems used on the foundation and crawlspace area. If you would like to have the radon in your home tested, you can hire a professional company to temporarily install radon monitoring devices, and there are also a few options for homeowners that want to monitor radon levels continuously.