Tag Archives: radon-resistant home

Radon and Lung Cancer: 5 Myths Debunked

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Not all people know about the adverse effects of radon. This is why every state is exerting much effort to raise awareness on this cancer-causing gas. Though the World Health Organization has released a statement about the relationship between radon and lung cancer, some people still lack knowledge about what this radioactive gas can do. As a result, they believe in some myths. In this article, learn the truth about radon and lung cancer.

The Truth About Radon and Lung Cancer

Radon is a radioactive gas, which the naked eye cannot see. You cannot also smell or touch it, making it challenging to identify whether it is present in your home or not. This is why radon testing is needed to determine the radon levels in your home. Although there are tolerable levels, meaning it is not that dangerous, it is still best to make your home radon-free. 

Radon and lung cancer are always related. Exposing yourself to high radon levels for a long time can increase your risk of lung cancer. According to the World Health Organization, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the US, making it next to smoking. If you are a smoker, the chances of getting lung cancer increase when you are exposed to radon.

Probably, some of you might ask, “What if I don’t smoke? Will I still get lung cancer?” The answer is yes because lung cancer can be caused by second-hand smoking. Another cause is high radon exposure. If you want to avoid this deadly disease, make sure to stop smoking and create a radon-resistant home.

Radon Myths Debunked

Do you know a lot of things about radon? If not, here are some of the popular myths that you should not believe.

Radon is not dangerous.

If radon is not dangerous, then there will be no reported cases of radon deaths. The truth is, the number of deaths caused by this radioactive gas is alarming. Every year, more and more people die because of lung cancer caused by radon. If you don’t want to be a victim of this silent killer, make sure to do the proper radon mitigation. 

High levels of radon can be detected.

Whether radon is high or low, you cannot detect it unless you conduct radon testing. You can perform a short-term radon test or opt for long-term radon testing.

Homeowners can just open the windows to avoid high radon levels.

Although opening your windows can improve your home’s ventilation and reduce radon, it is still not enough to make your home radon-free. Therefore, consider other radon reduction techniques recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency.

If a radon mitigation system is installed, radon testing is not needed.

Radon testing is still needed even if you have installed a radon mitigation system in your home. This is because radon fluctuates, meaning it can be high or low. As such, you need to consistently monitor the radon level to ensure that you are safe from cancer-causing gas.

If the neighbor’s home has low radon levels, so do the others too.

Radon levels vary from home to home, so make sure to ask for professional help to determine the radon levels in your home.

Radon is dangerous, so homeowners have to take the proper steps to avoid this cancer-causing gas. There are different radon mitigation techniques to consider. But it would be best to call a licensed radon contractor to ensure that your home is radon-free. Doing so guarantees that you will be safe from radon and lung cancer.

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Are Radon Levels Higher In Vacant Homes?

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Radon is a naturally occurring gas, that’s why you can expect it anywhere, even at your home. Although it is dangerous, there is a specific radon level that is considered harmful to people. When you expose yourself to high radon levels for a long time, the cells in your lungs will be damaged, increasing your risk to lung cancer. If you want to avoid this, it is crucial to create a radon-resistant home. If you are buying a house or relocating to a new one, you must ensure that the house is radon-free by conducting radon testing. This is because you’ll never know if vacant homes have higher radon levels. If you are curious to know, then we’re here to give you the answer.

Radon Levels in Vacant Homes

Most people who are aware of how dangerous radon has the same question in mind. Are radon levels higher in vacant homes? Some homeowners believe that radon is more evident in newly built houses. Therefore, they ask the assistance of professional radon contractors to decrease radon in the place. Others who have abandoned their home for a long time also worry if cancer-causing gas is more evident after leaving it for months or years. Before we answer the question, there are several things that you need to know when it comes to radon entry. The following will help you understand how radon enters your home and answer your question of whether leaving the house vacant for a certain period can elevate radon levels.

Radon enters your home through cracks or openings in your house’s foundation. 

Whether your home is vacant or not, radon can still enter because it passes through the cracks or opening of your house’s foundation unless you have applied radon mitigation techniques. Aside from this, the differences in air pressure between the inside of a building and the soil around it can also contribute to radon entry.

Your home exchanges its air every 6-8 hours. 

According to professional radon contractors, the air in your house circulates, and it exchanges its air every 6-8 hours. Meaning, if there are high radon levels, there is a possibility that it will be reduced. This could happen through natural convection and air circulation with your HVAC system. However, it is still essential to ensure that the house was built with radon reduction techniques to remove your worries regarding high radon levels.

Leaving your windows open for a long time contributes to radon entry.

Radon experts say that unless you can have every window open when in a home, open windows can create a more significant stack effect that pulls more radon gas into your house. So make sure to improve your home’s ventilation, so you don’t have to open your windows for a long time.

Radon is indeed dangerous because it brings adverse health effects. But since it is naturally occurring, what homeowners can do is to apply radon mitigation techniques. Although there are DIYs that you can follow, it is still best to ask for radon experts’ help; doing so quill guarantee that your home is safe from high radon levels even if you leave it vacant for a long time.

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Radon Testing: Is It Necessary When Buying A Home?

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Are you planning to buy your dream house soon? If you are purchasing a ready-to-move-in home, you probably know that there are many things to consider. Aside from the house’s location and its price, you also need to test it for radon. Some buyers are unaware that radon testing is significant, especially if you are relocating to a new house. In this article, find out why it is necessary to test your home for radon and what kind of radon testing is recommended.

Radon: What Is It?

Radon is a radioactive gas. Since it occurs naturally, you can find it anywhere, including your home, school, and even in the workplace. The worst thing about radon is it can cause lung cancer. According to the World Health Organization, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. If your home has radon, it doesn’t mean that you’ll acquire lung cancer right away. Exposing yourself to high radon levels for a long time can damage the cells in your lungs, which can lead to lung cancer.

Why Testing Your Home For Radon Is A Must

High radon levels are dangerous because they can cause lung cancer. Although there is no strong evidence that radon can also cause other health conditions, still, it is vital to have a radon-resistant home. When buying a house. It is critical to conduct radon testing to assess the radon levels of your new place. Once you have the results, you can plan for the best radon reduction technique to create a radon-resistant home.

There are two types of radon testing, short-term and long-term. Both are helpful, but they should be done correctly to get the most accurate results. Although there are DIY radon testing that you can do, hiring a professional radon corrector is highly recommended. When looking for a radon contractor, make sure they have a license to conduct radon testing. Having a license means they are legal to operate, and they are knowledgeable when it comes to radon mitigation.

Which Radon Testing Is Highly Recommended?

Radin testing can be short-term or long-term, and the better one depends on what you want to achieve. For instance, short-term radon testing is recommended if you only want to know if radon exists in the house you are about to buy. If the results say there are high radon levels, you need to ask the contractor about the best radon reduction technique that can be applied to your home. Once you have bought the house, long-term radon testing is a must so that you can monitor whether radon is reduced or not. 

Radon is a harmful radioactive gas because of its adverse effects. The only way to combat it is to apply the radon reduction technique to ensure you have a radon-resistant home. But before you do radon mitigation, you need to conduct radon testing first to identify the radon levels in your area. So before you buy a house, make sure you test it for radon to keep your family safe from the cancer-causing gas.

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Why Do Radon Levels Fluctuate?

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Radon testing is one of the first things you need to do if you want to reduce the radon levels at your home. This process is crucial because it is the only way you can tell whether your home has high radon levels or not. You can plan on the best radon reduction techniques that will help you create a radon-resistant home through the results. However, radon testing should not only be done once because radon levels fluctuate. Meaning, radon increases or decreases depending on several factors. Why do radon levels fluctuate, and what should you do about it? Find the answers here.

The Rise and Fall of Radon Levels

Radon naturally occurs everywhere, and it is constantly changing. It can be hourly, daily, or seasonal, depending on the factors that affect its fluctuation. Radon is a cancer-causing gas, and it seeks a lower pressure area. This is why it moves from the soil to the air. It flows faster, especially if there is a big difference between the high and low air pressure. Aside from air pressure, the weather is one of the common factors that affect the radon levels at your home. The changes in weather events such as severe storms and high winds can increase or decrease radon. Take a look at the following how weather factors can cause radon fluctuation:

High winds

High winds can either create high pressure or low pressure in your home. But most of the time, high winds increase radon levels.

Rain or storm

Rain or storms can bring in lower pressure air around your home. As mentioned, radon likes lower pressure, causing it to “flow” from the soil to the air even faster than normal. If there is heavy rainfall, the ground will become more saturated with water. As a result, radon will find a path through the soil outside the home.

Snow, ice, and cold temperature

If there is cold weather, you tend to open the heater to make your home warmer. The problem is that heaters pull more radon through the building, causing radon levels to rise. With cold weather, hot air rises, and if this escapes your home, there would be new air that needs to enter your home, which usually comes from the soil.

Radon Testing: Short Term or Long Term?

It is normal for radon to fluctuate because several factors cause it. If so, what should you do? One of the best things to do is to test your home for radon to apply the radon reduction techniques that will lower the levels of the cancer-causing gas. You can follow some DIY radon reduction techniques or ask a professional radon contractor to do the work. When considering radon tests, you need to decide whether to opt for short-term or long-term radon testing.

Short-term radon testing is recommended if you want to have a quick check if there are high radon levels in your home right now. With these tests, you can take action to decrease the radon levels. However, long-term radon testing is still needed to monitor radon levels in your home and ensure you are safe from the adverse effects of radon.

Radon is everywhere, and you can’t tell whether you are safe from it or not. That’s why radon testing is a must for you to create a radon-resistant home, keeping your family and loved ones safe from cancer-causing gas. Short-term radon tests can help you, but it is a long-term radon test that can help you monitor radon levels in your home.

Radon Levels: What Do They Mean?

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There could be many times when you have heard how dangerous radon is. But some of you may not know what radon level is considered hazardous. Although it is indeed better to make every home radon-free, some establishments with high radon levels may not be able to become radon-resistant instantly. But it is essential to target radon levels that are tolerable and safer. But what do radon levels mean? How are they measured, and which radon level is considered safe? Find out all the answers here.

What are Radon Levels?

Radon levels refer to the amount of radon present in your home, school, or office. You can determine them with a radon test. There are several ways on how to test an area for radon. Knowing radon levels is important because it is one of the vital steps to plan on how to reduce them. As mentioned, zero radon level is the safest, but suppose your home has high radon levels, the first thing to do is to lower it.

Which Radon Level is Tolerable?

Since radon is a naturally occurring gas, you’ll never know whether your area will be forever radon-free. That’s why radon testing is recommended every six months. The average global outdoor radon level may vary between 5-15 Bq/m3. This is also equal to 0.135-0.405 pCi/L. It only means that for every 99.9 Bq/m3, or every 2.7 pCI/L, you are increasing lung cancer risk to 16%. According to the World Health Organization, the generally accepted action level is 100 Bq/m3, or 2.7 pCi/L. If your home has high radon levels, it is advised to take remedial action to reduce the radon levels. WHO also suggests an upper limit that should not be exceeded at 300 Bq/m3 or eight pCi/L.

How Do You Decrease Radon Levels?

Suppose you have tested your home for radon and you found out that there are high radon levels; here are the things you can do:

  • Consider sealing the cracks and other openings in the foundation. This is one of the basic approaches you can do for radon reduction. Doing so limits the flow of radon into your home. By sealing the cracks and openings, other radon reduction techniques become more effective.
  • Get a Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV). This is also called an air-to-air heat exchanger, which you can install to increase ventilation. Doing so reduces the radon levels in your home.
  • Perform house or room pressurization. This radon reduction technique uses a fan to blow air into the basement. It can also be done in the living area from either upstairs or outdoors. With this technique, you are creating enough pressure at the lowest level indoors.

Measuring radon levels is one of the critical steps to prevent anyone from having cancer caused by radioactive gas. Since radon is the second leading cause of cancer, making a radon-resistant home is a must. There are different ways to lower the radon levels at home, school, or office. You may call the nearest certified radon contractor in your area if you need to apply some radon reduction techniques in your establishments. It would be better to target zero radon levels but if your home has high radon levels, what matters most is to reduce them step by step.

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4 Construction Techniques to Build A Radon-Resistant Home

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When building a house, homeowners consider several things. Among these is how huge the building would be, how many bedrooms the structure can accommodate, where to place the kitchen area, and many more. Sometimes, environmental concerns are not prioritized. Homeowners should pay more attention to creating a safe home and environment rather than the structure’s aesthetics. To ensure that the air you will breathe at home is safe, building a radon-resistant home is essential.

How Radon Is Produced

For those who have never heard of what radon is, know that it is a kind of radioactive gas that comes from the soil. This gas is produced through the uranium breakdown that is present in most rocks and soil. As radon breaks down, it emits atomic particles that are incorporated in the air people breathe, posing risks to human health. Once a person is exposed to radon, it can increase the risk of respiratory diseases such as lung cancer.

The radon indoors is more harmful than the radioactive gas that you can find outside the home. It is because this chemical is diluted in the open air, but it could stay indoors. Radon can build up to dangerous levels at home, mainly if this gas is not eradicated. If a person inhales radon, its particles’ energy can change the DNA cell, increasing the risks of lung cancer.

How Radon Enters Your Home

The radioactive gas enters the house through the little openings and cracks in the foundation. It is where creating a radon-resistant home takes a vital role. If the house structure blocks this chemical, you can ensure that you and your loved ones are safe from inhaling this harmful chemical. If the house is not radon-resistant, then there’s a higher chance of having this toxic chemical inside the building.

The air pressure between the inside of a building and the soil surrounding it also plays a significant role in radon entry. For instance, radon will remain outside if the house’s air pressure is greater than the ground beneath it. If the air pressure of the building is lower than its surrounding soil, the radon gas will enter the home. It is essential to keep the pressure inside the house higher than the soil because if not, the building will act like a vacuum that sucks all the radon.

Things to Consider Before Building A Radon-Resistant Home

architect designing a house

Before you talk to your builder and design a radon-resistant home, it is crucial to find the best location. Remember, radon comes from the soil; that’s why an area’s geology is a significant factor when building a house. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collaborated with state and federal geologists to design maps that can predict every region’s potential radon levels. 

The areas in the maps are labeled from Zone 1 to Zone 3. Zone 1 refers to places where the radon is potentially high. Meanwhile, Zone 3 consists of areas where radioactive gas is potentially low. It doesn’t mean that you cannot build houses in Zone 1 sites. If you are planning to construct a building there, you can include a radon control system. It is more affordable to add it to the total costs while building it rather than install the system after the house is built.

Here’s a map that can help you identify if your new house will be built in any of the three zones.

Radon-Resistant Home: Construction Tips and Techniques

You don’t need to be an expert in house building to create a radon-resistant home. Know that creating a radon-resistant house sometimes has simple techniques that are familiar to builders. Following the simple methods are sufficient enough to deter radon from entering the building. Here are some strategies to consider:

Install a layer of clean gravel or place it beneath the flooring system.

Place a four-inch layer of clean and coarse gravel below the foundation (slab). This layer allows radon and other soil gases to move freely underneath the house, creating an airflow layer or gas-permeable layer. If the gravel is too expensive or unnecessary in your area, you may consider perforated pipe and collection mat as alternatives.

Place polyethylene sheeting on top of the gravel layer.

Another technique to consider is installing a heavy-duty plastic sheeting or a vapor retarder on top of the gravel. Doing so prevents the radioactive gas from entering your home. Aside from that, it also keeps the concrete from clogging the gravel layer, especially when the slab is poured.

Install a gas-tight venting pipe starting from the gravel layer through the building to the roof.

You may install a three-inch or four-inch reliable PVC Schedule 40 pipe vertically from the gravel layer through the house’s conditioned space and roof. Doing so will help in safely venting the radon and other soil gases outside the home.

Ensure that the foundation is thoroughly sealed and caulked.

Make sure that all the cracks and little openings in the concrete foundation floor and walls are sealed and caulked. If so, the harmful soil gases will be prevented from entering your home.

Passive Radon System vs Active Radon System

These techniques make up a passive radon system. Sometimes, these construction techniques are enough to replace the vacuum effect that most houses experience. The passive radon system blocks the radon from entering by creating a pressure barrier. However, there could be instances when the passive radon system is not enough to prevent radon entry. If this is the case, an active radon system is recommended. 

An active radon system is done by installing a fan that pulls the radon gas from the soil into the vent pipe. The radioactive gas is then exhausted outside the house. You can talk to your builder about which of the active to passive radon systems would work best for your home. As radon experts, they can help you identify which construction techniques can be applied in building the house, keeping you and your family safe from the radioactive gas.

As someone who plans to build a house, you must consider several factors to ensure that the building is safe from harmful gases like radon. You may talk to your builder and design a home using radon-resistant construction techniques. If the passive radon system is not enough, you may consider the active radon system. No matter what you use, what matters most is the safety of your family. Therefore, make sure that you will have a radon-resistant home.

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5 Features of A Radon-Resistant Home

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Having a home that you can call your own is indeed fulfilling. No wonder many people work hard to buy their dream house. If you are already planning to buy it, for sure, you only want what is best. Sometimes, home buyers focus on the structure’s aesthetics, not knowing that there are more critical things to consider. Among these is making the house radon-free. Know that radon is a cancer-causing radioactive gas. Therefore, it is vital to buy a radon-resistant home that can help you reduce the risks of getting respiratory diseases.

Why Buy A Radon-Resistant House?

As someone who has saved money to buy a home, you deserve what is best for you and your family. That’s why, as a home buyer, you need to focus on your family’s safety. In the past years and even today, some houses might contain radon. It is a radioactive gas that you cannot see, smell, or taste. As a result, it is hard to determine whether your home is free from this gas or not. But through radon testing, you can identify what radon level the house has.

Whether you are buying an old house or a ready-made one, it is crucial to know if it is a radon-resistant home. If the result of the radon testing is high, there are ways to lower it. In this way, you can ensure that the house is safe from this cancer-causing radioactive gas. If the home is built from scratch, then certain features should be considered to ensure that it is free from harmful gas.

Besides, buying a house that is radon-free offers several advantages. Not only can it help you achieve a safer and healthier environment, but it is also cost-effective. For instance, if you are building a home from scratch, you can ask the contractors to make it energy-efficient. There are radon-resistant techniques that can also save energy costs. Aside from that, upgrading the features to keep your home radon-free is cheaper when it is already installed during the construction.

Radon-Resistant Home: Features to Consider

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Even if you are not an expert in building the best house, you can familiarize yourself with the features to make it radon-free. You may talk with the housing developer to achieve it. The question is, what makes a house radon-free? Here are some features:

Gas-Permeable Layer

This feature allows the soil gas to move freely underneath your house. That’s why it is placed beneath the slab or flooring system. Take note that the gas-permeable layer should not be used in structures with crawl space foundations. Meaning, it can only be utilized in houses with basement and slab-on-grade foundations. Usually, the material used in adding a gas-permeable layer is a four-inch layer of clean gravel.

Junction Boxes

A junction box is installed in the attic, making the wiring and vent fan installation easier. Another junction box is placed in the living area that powers the vent fan alarm. It signals if the vent fan is not operating correctly.

Plastic Sheeting

Another feature of a radon-resistant home is plastic sheeting. It is installed on top of the gas-permeable layer and under the slab. With plastic sheeting, the soil gas will not be able to enter the home. Consider placing the sealed sheeting over the crawlspace floor.

Sealing

Sealing all the below-grade openings in the foundations of the walls is crucial. Doing so prevents soil gas from entering the home.

Vent Pipe

A PVC pipe that measures three or four inches should run from the gas-permeable layer through the house to the roof. Having these vent pipes Safely pushes the radon and other soil gases outside.

It is essential to know that a radon-resistant home’s features vary from the foundations and sites that will be used when building a house. It would be better to ask the contractor what approach they are using. The elements listed above are the essential elements that a radon-free house has. There could be more features depending on how the building will be built.

Once your house is already built, make sure to conduct radon testing. Doing so ensures that no harmful gases are left at home. Consider radon testing every two years. It is because even if your home is built with radon-resistant features, there could still be radon flow that might increase over time. If radon is detected and considered high, you may contact a radon contractor to solve this issue.

Your house should be a place where you and your family can feel safe and relaxed. Aside from making the interiors cozy, it is crucial to make it radon-free. This way, you can guarantee that you have low risks of acquiring respiratory diseases such as lung cancer. Building a radon-resistant home ensures that you and your loved ones are safe from harmful radioactive gases.