Ed Petterson and his wife Jane found that their dream home in Nashville, Tennessee may not be such a blessing after all.

“We wanted something quiet, serene and out of the way, and it had a nice view and good acoustics,” said Petterson, describing a home that was absolutely everything he and his wife had always wanted.

Unfortunately, that dream state didn’t last long.

“I started to get some symptoms, really heavy ringing in my ear and my brain and sinuses. [When we moved in] we forgot to test for Radon and we tested for radon and boom it was off the charts. That went anywhere from a low of 417 to 537.”

Radon Gas Exposure is Extremely Hazardous

Image by Lisa (Flickr)

Those levels are extremely high, hundreds of picocuries above the recommended action limit at 4.0 pCi/L. For reference, the US EPA has set an official action limit at 4.0 pCi/L, which means any homes at or above that should have a mitigation system installed immediately to ventilate the deadly gas. At that level (4.0 pCi/L) it’s roughly the equivalent of smoking a half a pack of cigarettes per day. For every additional 15 pCi/L added, that’s another full pack of cigarettes. In the Petterson family’s case, exposure to 537 pCi/L would have been equal to smoking just over 35 packs of cigarettes per day. Hopefully, we don’t have to explain how insane that is.

Keith Phillips of Franklin Environmental Services says they are the highest levels his company has seen in about five years.

“That is like a coal mine,” said Phillips. “[Those are some] extreme levels of radon.”

Radon is an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas that can creep into any home. It’s produced as a natural decay product by elements such as Uranium, which can be commonly found in the soil and rock underneath our feet. Once produced, the dense radon gas seeps into homes through cracks in the foundation, walls and flooring. It then collects in great amounts, causing severe health issues one of the most common of which is lung cancer.

In fact, more than 21,000 Americans die each year from radon-induced lung cancer. Radon gas happens to be the second leading cause of lung cancer in many countries over, including the US, Canada and the UK.

Radon Gas is More Common Thank You Think

It’s a widespread problem too, contrary to popular belief. Because radon occurs naturally, it can exist anywhere and seep into any home. It is estimated that one out of every fifteen homes in the United States have elevated levels of radon gas within.

In the open air it’s not a problem, however in small spaces where the gas is concentrated it can cause severe harm to the body and lungs.

Dr. John Benitez, managing director of the Poison Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has confirmed that prolonged exposure to the deadly gas can affect your health in some major ways.

“Taking a whiff of it in your house by itself is not a problem. If you continue breathing that high concentration of Radon gas over time will develop radioactivity on your lungs.”

Particles called radon daughters are inhaled and then stick to the inner linings of your lungs, where the continue to undergo radioactive decay. Over time, this causes the cells inside the lungs to become cancerous.

How Do You Prevent Problems With Radon Gas?

Wondering what the best way to prevent such a thing is? Have your home tested for the presence of radon gas, and if elevated levels are discovered hire an experienced professional to install a mitigation system.

You can purchase a DIY testing kit at any local hardware store or online. If you don’t want to bother with the process yourself, you can also hire a professional to test your home for you.

WSMV Nashville — the news provider that originally broke the story — mistakenly claims that radon testing and mitigation is costly, with the Petterson family having spent thousands of dollars on both. While that estimate may be true — if not a bit exaggerated — the price of a few tests and mitigation system can hardly outweigh the cost of lung cancer should one eventually contract it from prolonged exposure. Not to mention the serious health implications of lung cancer, which has one of the highest mortality rates of any form of cancer. Let’s just say, you don’t want it.

Radon mitigation systems generally cost anywhere from $1,400 – $2,500. Keep in mind, radon professionals you hire should always be certified to conduct their business. If they are not nationally certified, then don’t hire them to do the work!

You can find more information about radon, testing and even mitigation here at Radon Resources.

Radon — a naturally occurring radioactive gas — seeps into homes through cracks in the foundation, walls and flooring. Once inside, it collects in great amounts causing serious harm to the inhabitants within. In other words, your home may very well be killing you slowly and silently.

The gas is odorless, colorless and tasteless which means it’s virtually undetectable, unless you use the appropriate radon testing kit.

To be honest, the odds are stacked against you. One out of every fifteen homes in the country is estimated to have elevated levels of radon gas. To add to that, more than 21,000 Americans die each year due to radon-induced lung cancer. Of course, it doesn’t happen immediately; lung cancer is contracted after years of prolonged exposure.

Fortunately, it can be prevented pretty easily. There is a common misconception that airing out your home by opening windows and running A/C units will ventilate the radon gas. That is not true at all. Radon is an incredibly dense gas, and although it can easily seep into homes it generally remains at the lowest levels of a structure. In fact, in quite a few scenarios it’s entirely possible that opening doors and windows to a home can cause the radon levels inside to increase especially during winter months.

The only way to ventilate radon gas from a home — when there are elevated levels within — is to install a mitigation system. This should be done by a local radon contractor and professional.

Test Your Home for Radon Gas

Before you can take action — or know whether or not you need to — you need to test your home for the presence of radon gas. Luckily, you can pick up a DIY radon testing kit at any local hardware store or online for about $12 – $15. You can also hire an experienced professional to come out and test your home if you don’t want to deal with the process.

DIY testing kits require you to mail in your samples to a remote lab, where they identify the gas levels in the air samples. The results are then sent back to you about a week or two later.

The two best times to test a home for the presence of radon gas are during the summer and winter months. The weather and climate does affect the levels of gas inside the home, but these are also times residents are less likely to be opening doors and windows frequently.

If you’d like more information about radon testing you can read our in-depth feature here, or you can pay a visit to the US Environmental Protection Agency Radon page.

Install a Mitigation System to Remove Elevated Levels of Radon

Image by SWAT Environmental

As we mentioned above, if elevated levels are discovered then you need to take measures to have a radon mitigation system installed. A professional will analyze your home, radon gas readings and discuss the plan of attack. Generally, they end up running a ventilation pipe below the concrete slab under the foundation which is attached to a fan. This system is then used to remove the radon gas from underneath the home, preventing it from entering the house above.

Of course, even if a radon mitigation system is installed follow-up tests should be conducted. The mitigation system should remain on at all times, and radon tests should be conducted at least twice a year to ensure the system is working properly.

Again, just opening doors and windows in your home will not help the situation at all. If anything, it will make matters worse.

Homeowner Jan Poulsen of South Jordan Utah, was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer thanks to exposure to elevated levels of radon gas. After remodeling her home, she disturbed the soil underneath and it changed the radon levels in her home, which grew to be well over the recommended action limit.

Testing Your Home for Radon Gas May Save Your Life

Image by Lisa (Flickr)

Poulsen first bought her home in 1992 and had the house initially tested for radon gas.

“We did test it and it was at an acceptable level,” she said. “Well we didn’t know what that really meant because we never heard of radon.”

Years later, she had her home remodeled to expand a walk out basement. Naturally, this disturbs the soil underneath releasing any radon gas that may have collected under the slab. She did not think to retest her home, which was a bad decision.

“5 Years later I was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer and I’m not a smoker, never have been,” says Poulsen.

After being diagnosed, her doctor recommended retesting the radon gas levels in her home, which she did.

“[The test] came back 24.9 Which is over 6 times what the acceptable level is.”

This is not just an isolated story either. About 160,000 people die each year from lung cancer, and of those 21,000 have died due to radon-induced lung cancer. Every one in fifteen homes in the country is estimated to have elevated radon gas levels inside, and most homeowners and families have no idea about it.

“[Mrs. Poulsen’s] medical bill alone was about $1.25 million so far,” says John Seidel, owner of Radon Be Gone in Utah. He compared it to the average cost of a mitigation system — about $1,300 — which can be installed to remove the deadly gas from a home.

“That [estimate] includes the concrete work, where we put in a suction pit. It includes the fan that’s usually wired in the attic and discharged through the roof, a performance meter and a post test as well. $1,300 versus cancer, it’s the cheapest insurance you’ll ever have.”

Unfortunately, Seidel is right.

Test Your Home for Radon Gas Today

Sadly, most folks have absolutely no idea it could be prevented with a $10 radon testing kit. Everyone should test their homes for the presence of radon gas, no matter where they live.

It’s a naturally occurring gas that’s produced as a decay product of common elements such as Uranium. Those elements exist in the soil and rock underneath our feet, and our homes. Once produced, the dense gas seeps inside and collects in great amounts. Exposure to elevated levels of the gas can lead to lung cancer, and many other pulmonary health issues.

To put that into perspective — even though we’ve already mentioned it — 21,000 Americans die each year from radon-induced lung cancer. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the US and many countries including Canada, the UK and others. It is more problematic than second hand smoke. If you want to get real technical, it is the single leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. It’s a huge problem, and we all need to be made aware of it.

Have your home tested today. Mrs. Poulsen — and many others — can attest to the fact that you don’t want to be diagnosed with lung cancer, especially when it could have been easily prevented.

Via: Good 4 Utah

Not everything related to radon gas — and its associated dangers — is about doom and gloom. Two second-year students from Ireland have earned a trip to the States to participate alongside other skilled, and young scientists because of their work with radon.

Young Scientists Earn Trip to US for Work with Radon

Image by Niall Murray, Irish Examiner Education Correspondent

Shauna Murphy and Caoimhe Cronin — students of St Mary’s Secondary School in Mallow, County Cork, Ireland — were interested in the dangers of radon gas and so began their work with it. They tested over 40 local homes, and investigated the presence of radon gas in the water supply and soil outdoors.

Their inspiration came from the fact that their hometown Mallow, has some of the world’s highest recorded radon gas levels. Being that radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer the world over, they were intrigued.

They entered their work in January’s BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition. Their work and subsequent findings were enough to earn them the Intel Student of Excellence Award, offered for projects in various sections of the event including physics, chemistry and math.

Murphy and Caoimhe found during their studies that high radon levels in the ground and soil outside further indicated elevated levels inside nearby homes. It’s particurly interesting because it works to prove that the gas can seep inside homes from the ground underneath, turning the air hazardous.

Why the Young Scientists Chose to Work with Radon

Caoimhe said that she and her partner intend “to raise awareness locally because people in Mallow don’t all know about the problem.” However, that’s not just true of her hometown in Ireland it’s true of everyone, everywhere. The select few that do know about radon often dismiss it as irrelevant to them, their home and their family. Radon gas is a significant problem everywhere, not just the US and Ireland. It’s also an issue in countries like Canada, UK, China, Russia and many more.

Murphy and Caoimhe will be traveling alongside their science teacher Martin Timmons in May to Pittsburgh, to compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Of course, the duo plans to do more testing and studies related to radon before the big trip. They want to bring more information along with them.

What the Two Young Scientists Discovered about Radon

During their study, the girls discovered that nearly two-thirds of homes tested had elevated levels of the deadly gas, in addition to six of the eight rooms at their school. Interestingly enough, their school had a radon barrier installed as part of a renovation over ten years ago.

“There were also radon pumps put in, and the levels went down. But the levels are very high again in some rooms, and we found this could be linked to ventilation,” said Shauna.

As a result, the girls believe that mitigation can be successful, provided proper ventilation procedures are put in place. What this means in the grand scheme, is that these girls could directly influence how professionals install mitigation equipment and radon pumps in the future. Depending on what they find during their studies, it may influence how radon gas is dealt with from now on.

As we have been saying constantly, both girls suggest that homeowners test their homes for the presence of radon to find out whether or not it’s a problem.

We’ll have more on their findings and progress at the fair as soon as May rolls around. For now, we’d like to extend a formal congratulations to miss Shauna Murphy and Caoimhe Cronin for their excellent work. Good job ladies, and good luck at the fair in May!

Via: Irish Examiner

Did you know, there’s a pretty good chance that your home may be silently killing you and your family? Worse yet, you’d be none the wiser, until many years or decades from now when you contract lung cancer as a result? Does that sound like something straight out of your worst fantasies — or one of them anyway?

Your Home May Be Killing You with Radon Gas

Image by Lisa (Flickr)

Believe it or not, it could be very true. One in fifteen homes in the US have elevated levels of radon gas inside. More than 21,000 Americans die each year due to radon-induced lung cancer. Furthermore, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in everyone — the first in non-smokers. Point being, it’s a pretty significant problem for everyone, not just a select few.

There’s a common misconception about radon gas that it’s no longer an issue anymore, or that it only exists in certain parts of the country. It is still very much an issue, even with modern construction measures designed to keep the deadly gas out. Yes, that means homes with radon resistant construction are still susceptible to the deadly gas. It can still seep inside.

As for the gas only being a problem in certain areas of the country, that’s way off. Radon gas is produced as a natural decay product of various elements like Uranium. Unfortunately, these elements happen to exist in the soil and rock under our feet. Because radon gas is extremely dense, it can seep up out of the ground and collect in closed in areas right above it. In the open air and outside, this isn’t a problem as the gas dissipates becoming less of a danger. However, it can seep into homes through cracks in the foundation, walls and flooring and collect in great abundance. Once it collects in concentrated amounts, it can cause serious harm to your lungs and your body.

The recommended action limit for Radon is 4.0 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) as set by the US EPA. However, if you were to live in a house with exactly 4.0 pCi/L of radon gas, you would be exposing yourself to the equivalent of smoking nearly a half a pack of cigarettes per day. For every additional 15 pCi/L tacked on to that, it’s equal to another full pack of cigarettes.

Many homes have been found to contain radon gas levels of 40 pCi/L and higher. Just try and wrap your brain around how risky that is, and how much it increases the risk that residents exposed to that much radon gas would get lung cancer. Needless to say, the risk is pretty high.

To make matters worse, even if you’ve never smoked a day in your life the risk is still there. Of course, if you do smoke and you are also exposed to elevated levels of radon gas your risk for lung cancer more than doubles.

That’s not even taking into account the dozens — if not hundreds — of pulmonary illnesses and problems radon gas can produce. While there are studies out there that show exposure to radon can do more than just cause lung cancer, there isn’t nearly enough information to know everything the deadly gas can do to your body.

Test Your Home for Radon ASAP

So, what can we do about it? Luckily, the action process is relatively simple and fairly inexpensive.

Since radon gas is odorless, colorless and tasteless — making it virtually indetectable — the only way to discover its presence is to test specifically for it. On that note, you can purchase a DIY radon testing kit at any local hardware store or online. If you’re afraid you’re going to botch the job, or just plain don’t want to do it yourself, you can always hire a local radon professional to come to your home and do it for you.

If elevated levels are discovered, action must be taken to reduce the amount of gas collecting in your home. This can be done by installing a mitigation system, which essentially ventilates the radon gas out into the open air where it’s no longer concentrated and dangerous. While homeowners can always install their own mitigation system, we do not recommend it under any circumstances. You’re much better off hiring a certified radon contractor to install the mitigation system for you. In this way you can be sure it’s installed and working correctly. It’s also worth noting that subsequent testing may be necessary to ensure the mitigation system is working.

The sooner you test, the better off you and your family will be. Your home could very well be killing you as you read this, and you may never even know. Don’t take the chance. Test your home now. It only takes a few days to weeks — depending on whether you conduct a long or short term test — and your results will surely give you peace of mind.

image by Tristan Schmurr

Most people hear about radon through the grapevine or read about how dangerous it is on a popular blog or news site. Sadly, that’s usually about as far as it goes. Once people learn about the topic most write it off as not that serious and move on with their lives. They couldn’t be any more wrong.

Worse yet, it’s a common misconception that radon isn’t a problem in your area or that your home is immune. Southerners seem to think it’s a northern problem, and northerners tend to believe the opposite. The truth is that it’s a naturally ocurring gas, released as a radioactive decay product from elements like Uranium commonly found in soil and rock. In other words, it can be a problem anywhere regardless of geographical location. Worse yet, it can seep into any home regardless of the composition. Even newer homes built with radon resistant construction are still susceptible to this silent killer.

In fact, you could be living with extremely dangerous levels of radon gas in your home right now and be none the wiser. It is odorless, colorless and tasteless. It’s pretty dense too, which means even though most of the time it remains on lower levels of a home, it can still seep in pretty easily.

In addition, because of it’s makeup radon gas is virtually indetectable. The only way to discover its presence, is to test specifically for it.

It’s Time to Get Serious about Radon Gas

In the spirit of National Radon Action Month — which is all through the month of January — it’s time everyone gets serious about radon gas and its associated dangers. Are you one of the many who don’t feel it’s much of a problem for your family? Think again.

Radon is responsible for the demise of more than 21,000 Americans each year who die from radon-induced lung cancer. These are people of all ages from all walks of life too.

It is the second leading cause of lung cancer in many countries including the US, Canada, and the UK. In the US, it’s the single leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Yes, that’s right exposure to radon gas is more deadly than exposure to second hand smoke.

An estimated one in fifteen homes — we’ll repeat that for effect, 1 in 15 homes — in the US have elevated radon levels inside, and most homeowners have no clue. Exposure to radon gas at the recommended action limit of 4.0 pCi/L (picocuries per liter) as set by the US EPA is the equivalent of smoking nearly a half a pack of cigarettes per day. For every additional 15 pCi/L of exposure, it’s equal to smoking a full pack of cigarettes. In other words, if you find the radon gas levels in your home are 30 pCi/L it means you’ve pretty much been smoking over two packs of cigarettes per day. Compound that with how many years you’ve been living in said home, and you can see how it adds up. Exposure to radon gas severely increases the risk of lung cancer.

Radon Gas Exposure Can Be Prevented Easily

image by Air Chek

Fortunately, all of this can be prevented pretty easily. You can prevent your family’s exposure to deadly radon gas simply by testing your home, or hiring an experienced professional to do so. If elevated levels are found, a mitigation system can be installed to ventilate the gas. Believe it or not, neither of these processes are expensive or complicated.

You can purchase a DIY radon gas testing kit at any local hardware store or online. If you don’t want to do the work yourself you can hire a local contractor to come test your home. If elevated levels are found, you can hire someone to install the mitigation system for a reasonable price. Want a price estimate? The most expensive mitigation system can cost anywhere from $1,700 – $2,400 depending on the work that’s done and who you hire. Sure that may seem like a pretty big chunk of cash to pony up at once, but it’s a small price to pay to keep you and your family in good health.

Test Your Home for Radon Gas Today, and Then Help Spread Awareness

Every single homeowner or resident should have their home tested for radon gas. If you’re a renter, encourage your landlord to test the residence. If you own your home, then pay a visit to your local hardware retailer and pick up a DIY radon testing kit — you can also find them online. If you don’t want to bother with it, then contact a local radon professional and have them come check out your home — make sure they are certified though!

Once you’ve tested your home and know the radon gas levels — and have taken action if necessary — then it’s time to share your experience with others. Don’t just focus on keeping yourself and your family’s health in the clear, inform your friends, extended family and even colleagues about the dangers of radon gas. The more people that know about this silent killer and its many associated dangers the better.

Our main goal here is to reduce that large 21,000 number of people dying from radon-induced lung cancer every year especially since it can be prevented. It’s even worse when you consider the general costs with treating lung cancer, as opposed to the cost of a radon gas testing kit or mitigation system.

Radon Gas Causes Lung Cancer, So What?

Image by Yale Rosen

Similar to how smokers share a sentiment that cancer will never happen to them, despite the fact that they’re smoking a full pack of cigarettes — or more — per day, many people believe that they won’t ever get lung cancer from exposure to radon gas. In reality, because exposure increases the risk there is a chance that you may never get it, that’s absolutely right. However, there’s also a chance that you may get it by spending just an hour in a home with elevated levels — and it doesn’t even have to be your own home!

Lung cancer has one of the highest mortality rates of any form of cancer. This is because a majority of treatments are ineffective yes, but it’s also because of the nature of the disease. As with most forms of cancer, if you catch it early by all rights you should be okay. The problem is, by the time patients begin to show symptoms, the disease has usually progressed well beyond a curable state. That means, by the time a doctor diagnoses someone more often than not it’s too late. The best option then is to try and prevent it entirely by avoiding some of the more prominent causes. Being that radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer for smokers and non-smokers the world over, you’ll want to avoid being exposed to the deadly gas.

Radon Gas Can and Will Kill You, Don’t Wait to Test

Test your home today. Don’t wait. Encourage management to test your work for radon gas, encourage your friends and family to test their home, or encourage everyone you meet in public to test their home. Radon gas can and will kill you slowly, so if it’s collecting in your home you need to get it out. The only way you can do that, is by testing your home and finding out whether or not it’s a problem. The whole concept is real simple. Don’t spend time in denial believing that it won’t ever happen to you or your family. It may already be happening. You may be exposed to this silent killer every day and night you spend in your house.

Test as soon as possible, take action and then spread the word!

Just in time for National Radon Action month, a new disclosure law in Minnesota went into effect requiring home sellers to inform buyers whether or not they’ve tested for radon gas, and if so what levels were discovered and has the home been mitigated to lower them. The law went into effect on January 1, 2015.

The Minnesota Radon Awareness Act Protects Home Buyers from the Dangers of Radon Gas

Why is this such a big deal? Nevermind the fact that radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, responsible for the deaths of more than 21,000 each year. In just the first nine months of 2014, well over 2,389 homes were modified with mitigation systems to reduce levels of the deadly gas. That’s a huge increase in the average over the two years prior, at 1,279 homes. Long story short, lots of homes in the area have been tested, and mitigation systems have been installed to remove elevated levels of the deadly gas.

If you happen to move into one of the many homes that have been modified, you want to be aware what the levels were before, and what they are currently. If those mitigation systems fail, or have been installed improperly there’s a chance the radon gas levels may still be high. Since elevated radon gas levels are hazardous to one’s health, it’s a good idea to be aware of what you’re walking into.

The law, called the Minnesota Radon Awareness Act also requires sellers to provide a specific warning statement along with a two-page publication on the dangers of radon gas to each buyer. The hope is that this will raise awareness about the problem, and protect those who are purchasing and moving into new homes.

Radon Gas is a Concern for All Homeowners

You’d be surprised to find out that about every two out of five homes in Minnesota have elevated radon gas levels. It is an odorless, colorless and tasteless radioactive gas that seeps into homes from the soil underneath. It’s released as a natural decay product of various elements such as Uranium, commonly found in soil and rock. Because the gas is so dense, it makes it’s way inside a home through cracks in the floors, foundation and walls where it collects in great amounts. In addition, because the gas is virtually indetectable the only way to discover whether or not it’s a problem in your home is to test for radon with a DIY kit or to hire an experienced mitigation specialist to perform tests.

Breathing in concentrated amounts of radon gas over an extended period of time, can eventually lead to lung cancer. This is because it increases the risk for the disease exponentially. Exposure to the recommended action limit of 4.0 pCi/L — as set by the US EPA — is the equivalent of smoking nearly a half a pack of cigarettes per day. For exposure to every additional 15 pCi/L, it’s the equivalent of smoking another full pack of cigarettes. You can see how it adds up, greatly increasing your risk for contracting lung cancer.

Test Your Home for Radon Gas Today

It is estimated that there are about 100,000 home sales every year in Minnesota. Thanks to this new law, home buyers — and even some sellers — will become acquainted with the dangers of this silent killer and learn how to prevent any serious health complications from it. Keep in mind, exposure to the deadly gas can be easily prevented. Testing and mitigation is not as costly as one might think either, so don’t be afraid to explore those options.

Via: Wadena Pioneer Journal

Welcome to National Radon Awareness month! All throughout the month we’ll be featuring news and information on Radon, and how you can protect your family from this silent killer. Don’t be alarmed if your local health department or third party companies announce the availability of free testing kits either. Testing for the presence of radon in your home is very important, and to ensure that many homeowners actually go through with it a lot of sources will give away testing kits at a discount — or free. National Radon Awareness month is a very important time, one that may people actually overlook.

We’re going to kick off National Radon Awareness month — and the new year — with a comprehensive radon information guide. What does that mean exactly? Instead of featuring a relevant news story, or similar piece we’re going to outline all of the information we have available here at Radon Resources. In addition, we’ll point out alternate resources where you may find more informations, stats and data on Radon. After all, we claim quite often that radon is second leading cause of lung cancer, but it helps to have a proven source for such information, right?

Let’s get started!

National Radon Awareness Month: General Radon Information

Image by the University of Liverpool

Before you can take action, first you need to understand what exactly radon gas is, where it comes from and why it’s so dangerous. You’d be surprised how many people have never even heard of this silent killer. Worse yet, many people know that it’s an issue but blatantly ignore testing, and anything that goes along with it. There’s a common misconception that it used to be a problem years ago, and has since been solved.

Believe it or not, modern homes are designed with radon resistant construction in order to prevent radon gas from seeping inside, however this is no guarantee it can’t get into your home. Even if your home was built using these standards, there’s still a chance that the deadly gas can collect inside your home. When that happens — when it collects in great amounts — the air inside your home becomes hazardous to not only your health, but your family’s and anyone that visits you.

If you’d like to read some more general information about Radon gas, be sure to check out our guide on “What is Radon?” You can also head over the official US EPA page dedicated to Radon, which is where we acquired most of our information on the topic.

What is Radon Gas, Where Does it Come From and Why is it so Dangerous?

Radon is a radioactive gas that is produced as a natural byproduct of various elements undergoing radioactive decay. These elements — such as Uranium — can be commonly found in the soil and rock in the ground. As they undergo radioactive decay, they give off particles known as Radon daughters. These particles form one of the most dense gases known, that seeps up from the soil and into many areas surrounding it.

Radon is colorless, odorless and tasteless which means it’s virtually indetectable. In fact, the only way to discover it’s presence — or whether or not it’s a problem in your home — is to test specifically for it with a proprietary testing kit.

Since it can be produced by common elements, radon gas can be a problem anywhere. There are areas that are more prone to radon problems, obviously but this does not necessarily mean there are areas where radon does not exist. On the contrary, radon can be a problem anywhere.

Most people tend to believe that because their neighbor’s house was tested and is safe — or was found to contain dangerous levels — it’s indicative of their own home. This is not true at all. You could have two homes sitting side by side and one of them could turn up elevated levels while the other could be perfectly safe. That is why it is extremely important for you to test your own home, regardless of local results and patterns.

At this point you’re probably saying, well all this is great but why is it so dangerous? The answer to that question is pretty simple. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in many countries including the US, UK, Canada and more. In the US alone, it is responsible for the deaths of more than 21,000 each year. It also happens to be the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. It’s pretty dangerous stuff, because lung cancer has one of the highest mortality rates of any form of cancer. There are many reasons for this, one of which has to do with the time it takes to diagnose the disease. By the time most patients have begun to show symptoms and have been diagnosed, it has progressed well beyond a curable state. The most unfortunate part about that is it could be easily prevented in most cases. One simply needs to test their home for the presence of radon gas.

National Radon Awareness Month: Radon Testing

Radon testing is performed in a home, residence, or business to identify the average radon gas levels inside the structure. If elevated levels are discovered, that’s when it’s time to take action to lower the levels to a more healthy limit. In general, you often perform a short term test — or multiple — to find the levels in your home at that point in time. If elevated levels are discovered, then you generally perform a long term test to find the average levels, which are more accurate.

Homeowners can either test themselves using a DIY kit which is conducted and then sent to a remote lab for results collection, or they can hire a local professional. If the latter option is chosen, this can be beneficial if elevated levels are discovered. An experienced professional can provide guidance and advice how to preceed with mitigation.

Levels that meet or are below 4.0 pCi/L (picocuries per liter) are safe, as deemed by the US EPA. However, if you have levels at 4.0 pCi/L we’d advise you to have a mitigation system installed anyway. 2.0 pCi/L is the safer limit to set for a residence. If you are exposed to levels at 4.0 pCi/L on a daily basis that’s equal to smoking almost a half a pack of cigarettes per day. For every additional 15 pCi/L discovered, it’s the equivalent of smoking a full pack of cigarettes. In other words, you want radon levels in your home to remain as low as possible.

For more information on testing, such as how to test, where to purchase a testing kit and what to do with your results visit our Radon Testing page. You can also find more information by doing a simple web search in your preferred search engine. The US EPA website has information on testing and mitigation, as well.

National Radon Awareness Month: Radon Mitigation

Image by SWAT Environmental

The sole purpose of testing is to identify whether or not mitigation is necessary. Mitigation is quite simply installing a ventilation systems that removes the radon gas from your home and disperses it into the outside air. What this does is eliminate concentrated amounts of radon gas inside your home, making the air much more healthy and less dangerous.

Radon gas — the radon particles — collect in lower levels of your home and continue to undergo decay. It is possible for them to be inhaled, where they will stick to the inner linings of your lungs, unable to be removed. Even inside the body they continue to undergo decay, harming the cells they come into contact with — causing lung cancer and other serious pulmonary illnesses.

If elevated levels are discovered, you must then hire an experienced professional or contractor to install a mitigation system in your home. There are several different types of systems, the most common of which just involves running a pipe from under the foundation outside, and connecting it to a fan that pushes the radon gas out. That said, an experienced professional will be able to disclose what kind of system you need and how dangerous the levels in your home really are. In general, the higher the radon levels are the more danger you and your family are in.

January is National Radon Awareness Month!

Now that you are a little more educated, and you know exactly where to find more information — should you need it — it’s time to help spread awareness. This month, we implore you to share any information you’ve gathered with friends, family and neighbors. Every year radon induced lung cancer claims the lives of more than 21,000 Americans, and this is because they had no idea they were living with dangerous levels inside their home. This can easily be prevented if we just raise awareness about the dangers of radon, and this silent killer.

This month, take time to test your own home and keep you and your family safe. We also implore you to take a moment and share this information with people you care about. If everyone tells just one or two people, we can all save many lives this year and for many years to come.

You should test your home for the presence of radon, end of story. The only exception is if you’ve already tested your home recently and know the levels. If you conduct a test and discover elevated levels in your home or residence, then you need to have a mitigation system installed to ventilate some of the deadly gas.

Why?

The answer is simple: radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, and it’s responsible for the deaths of more than 21,000 each year in the US alone. If you are exposed to high levels of radon gas for an extended period of time than you are more likely to get lung cancer.

Radon is the Second Leading Cause of Lung Cancer

That might not seem so scary at first, until you consider that lung cancer has one of the highest mortality rates of any form of cancer. This is because by the time most patients begin experiencing and showing symptoms, the disease has progressed beyond a curable state.

Why are we telling you all of this?

The Oakland County Health Divison is offering radon testing kits for residents for just $5 during National Radon Action Month, which is January. The price is more than half off the standard price of testing kits.

According to Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, these testing kits are valuable to homeowners than one may initially realize.

“Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer,” says Patterson. “The radon test kit is quick, easy and affordable.”

If you’re interested in purchasing a radon testing kit for your home, and live in the area you can get them from local Health Division offices in two separate locations:

• North Oakland Health Center, 1200 North Telegraph, Building 34E, Pontiac
• South Oakland Health Center, 27725 Greenfield Road, Southfield

Both offices will be closed on Wednesday Dec. 31, and Thursday Jan. 1 for the New Year’s holiday. However, normal office hours are noon-8 pm on Mondays and 8:30 am-5 pm Tuesday through Friday.

Test Your Home for Radon as Soon as Possible

Keep in mind, radon is an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas that is virtually indetectable. In fact, the only way to discover its presence is to test specifically for it, with testing kits like those the Oakland Health Division is offering.

The national radon action level as set by the US EPA is 4.0 pCi/L. Being exposed to that amount of radon gas on a daily basis is equal to smoking a half a pack of cigarettes. For every 15 additional pCi/L of exposure, equals a full pack of cigarettes. Needless to say, exposure to levels higher than the action limit is extremely dangerous and hazardous to one’s health. The most unfortunate thing about that is that you could be exposed to those levels every day in your own home and be none the wiser.

That’s why it’s important to test your home. It’s a silent killer.

Via: Patch