According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, radon causes thousands of lung cancer every year. This is possible because this cancer-causing gas is very evident in the country. You can find it at home, school, workplace, and even in the places you don’t expect this gas to be. Although many people are aware of radon’s adverse effects, some of them overlook the precautionary measures they need to take. In this article, you’ll know more about how radon enters your home, how you can test if this gas is present, and what radon levels are tolerable.
How Radon Enters Your Home
Radon comes from the natural decay of uranium, which you can find in all soils. This gas moves up through the ground to the air above and into your home, passing through cracks and holes in the foundation. If your home traps radon inside, this cancer-causing gas can build up. Therefore, any home is susceptible to radon, including new and old houses. Even if your home is well-sealed and drafty, you cannot guarantee that it is safe from harmful gas. That’s why you should get a radon test is critical because it is the only method you can use to determine whether it is present or not.
Radon Testing: Know If Radon Is Present In Your Home
Short-term Testing
There are several ways to perform radon testing, and the quickest way to do it is to conduct short-term tests. When conducting short-term testing, it should remain in your home for two days to 90 days, depending on the device you will use. You may use the following for short-term testing:
- Alpha track
- Charcoal canisters
- Charcoal liquid scintillation
- Continuous monitors
- Electret ion chamber
Radon levels may vary from day to day and season to season; that’s why a short-term test is not advisable if you want to determine year-round average radon level. But it could be ideal if you need the results quickly.
Long-term Testing
Long-term tests should remain in your home for more than 90 days. You may use the alpha track and electret detectors to conduct year-long testing. This test will give you a reading that is more likely to tell your home’s year-round average radon level.
Acceptable Radon Levels
The acceptable radon levels at home, school, office, or anywhere is 0. It is essential to make sure that your environment is radon-free to reduce the risks of getting cancer and other respiratory diseases. But if your place has high radon levels, you can start little by little until you can completely eradicate this radioactive gas. If you want to eliminate radon, it is crucial, to begin with radon testing. You may call a radon contractor or do the radon testing yourself.
If you find hiring a radon contractor expensive, you may use DIY radon test kits to determine your place’s radon levels. According to the EPA, you need to fix your home if your radon level is four picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher. And even if the radon level is less than four pCi/L, it may still pose a risk. Therefore, you need to make sure that the radon levels will be reduced and make it as zero as possible.
Radon is very dangerous, and even if you are not familiar with what it can do, it is still crucial to eliminate this at home. Since it could be present anywhere, radon testing is essential to determine the radon levels in your place. 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher is dangerous enough to cause cancer since you could be breathing the gas if you do not take necessary actions. But you don’t need to wait for this radon level. As long as you find that the gas present, make sure to eradicate it as soon as possible.
