![\"Image](\"https:\/\/radonresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Massive-Pleural-Involvement-and-Multiple-Foci-of-Intrapulmonary-Tumor.jpg\")
<\/a>Image by Yale Rosen<\/p><\/div>\n
Lung cancer is more commonly associated with smoking and tobacco products, among other things. Many people believe that if they don’t smoke a day in their life they are safe from lung cancer, but that’s not true. You can get it even if you don’t smoke. All it takes is exposure to elevated levels of radon gas inside a residence or building.<\/p>\n
“About 2,900 [radon-related] deaths occur among people who have never smoked.”<\/p>\n
You can be exposed to the deadly gas in your home, schools, daycares, public buildings – like libraries – or\u00a0even your place of work.<\/p>\n
In January 2005,\u00a0Dr. Richard H. Carmona – the United States Surgeon General at the time – issued a national health advisory on radon. You can read that here<\/a>.<\/p>\n In that report was the following information:<\/p>\n The Surgeon General’s Workshop on Healthy Indoor Environment is bringing together the best scientific minds in the nation to discuss the continuing problem of unhealthful buildings. Indoor environments are structures including workplaces, schools, offices, houses and apartment buildings, and vehicles. According to a recent study, Americans spend between 85 and 95 percent of their time indoors.<\/p>\n In just the past 25 years, the percentage of health evaluations that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has conducted related to indoor-air quality has increased from 0.5 percent of all evaluations in 1978, to 52 percent of all evaluations since 1990. This means that in those years, the evaluations related to air quality concerns have increased from one of every 200 evaluations to one of every two.<\/p>\n The problem is also adversely affecting our children’s health as millions of homes and apartments and one in five schools in America have indoor air quality problems. This can trigger various allergies and asthma. Asthma alone accounts for 14 million missed school days each year. The rate of asthma in young children has risen by 160 percent in the past 15 years, and today one out of every 13 school-age children has asthma. Dr. Carmona is especially focusing on how unhealthy indoor environment affects children, as he promotes 2005 as The Year of the Healthy Child.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So, we’ve established radon is a problem. But how do you identify it? Can you prevent it or get rid of it?<\/p>\n Radon is difficult to detect. In fact, the only way to discover its presence in your home, office, or residence is to test for it specifically. You can either do this yourself with the appropriate testing equipment, or you can hire a professional.<\/p>\n \u201cNormally, radon gas disperses harmlessly into the air; but, it can get into homes, particularly homes with basements and since you can’t see it or smell it, you can’t tell if it is there unless you test for it.\u201d \u2013 Mike Chamberlain of MC2 Inspections<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n As Mike says, testing is the only way to tell whether or not radon is in your home. But just what is radon?<\/p>\n \u201cRadon is a \u2018noble\u2019 or \u2018inert\u2019 gas, which means it doesn’t combine readily with other elements. Radon is the heaviest known gas, 9 times denser than air, and it consists of one, tiny, single atom, so it can penetrate most common building materials like sheet rock, mortar, wood, most insulation, even concrete, block walls and or flooring.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTesting is the only way to find out about your home’s radon level.\u00a0The EPA and the Surgeon General\u00a0recommend testing of all homes below the third floor for radon.\u201d<\/p>\n The reason why they recommend testing the lowest livable space \u2013 including basements \u2013 is because radon is dense. Once it seeps into a home, it commonly builds up on the lowest level. This means that parts of your home may not have dangerous levels, while others do. It also means that every home is different.<\/p>\n Radon can seep into any type of home, even those without a basement. Furthermore, it will affect every home differently. It also means that even if your neighbor\u2019s home is safe, that doesn\u2019t mean yours is and vice versa.<\/p>\n Testing your home for radon is key.<\/p>\n Click here to visit the MC2 Home Inspections website…<\/a><\/p>\n In the United States, the recommended action limit of radon gas in a residence or building is 4.0 pCi\/L. If a radon test shows levels at or exceeding that number, you absolutely need to contact a professional and have a radon mitigation system installed.<\/p>\n A mitigation system will ventilate the radon gas and remove it – at least in concentrated amounts.<\/p>\n According to the United States National Safety Council<\/a> “no level of radon exposure is considered safe.”<\/p>\n While we recommend taking action for levels at 2.0 pCi\/L or higher, 4.0 is considered to be the danger zone.<\/p>\n Would you like to know\u00a0what “pCi\/L” means? The National Safety Council also has the answer for that.<\/p>\n “A pCI – or picocurie – is a measure of the rate of radioactive decay of radon gas (the tiny particles that can get trapped in your lungs when you breathe).”<\/p>\n It’s a standard unit of measurement for radiation, and since radon is a natural radioactive gas, that’s how it is measured too.<\/p>\n Homes, apartment buildings, and condos aren\u2019t the only places that can be affected by radon. The gas can seep into any building, including public ones. That means schools, day care centers, work and office buildings, industrial properties and much more.<\/p>\n Laura Rossinow, a Boston realtor that is also an NRPP Radon measurement provider<\/a>, believes that there should be laws in place to protect our children and educators.<\/p>\n \u201cChildren are raised in homes that have never been tested for radon and they go to schools that have never been tested for radon. Long term exposure is the highest risk! Protect your family…test for radon gas today!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Sadly \u2013 and we did talk about this recently<\/a> \u2013 there aren\u2019t many laws that require schools or day care centers to take action. Most that do exist call for testing a property, but that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n Did you know that an estimated 70,000 US classrooms have high, short-term radon levels? Think of how many children spend time in those classrooms exposed to radon. It\u2019s time to start taking this matter seriously.<\/p>\n Click here to visit Laura Rossinow’s website…<\/a><\/p>\n There are so many alarming statistics and facts related to radon. For instance, did you know radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the US? It\u2019s the leading cause in non-smokers.<\/p>\n What about the fact that there are more than 21,000 deaths each year from radon-induced lung cancer? Or, it\u2019s estimated that every one-in-fifteen homes in the US has elevated radon levels within?<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t know much about radon or the associated dangers, then it\u2019s time you become acquainted.<\/p>\n Chris Kristiansen from AirThings<\/a> (previously Corentium) explains how Radon levels are affected by the changing seasons.<\/p>\n \u201cRadon levels rise and fall with the seasons, with changes in your home\u2019s ventilation, or changes in the ground around your home. That is why we recommend getting a digital radon detector that shows both short-term and long-term changes to the radon level in your home.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Ultimately, just because you test earlier in the year and find lower levels doesn\u2019t mean you are in the clear. Radon detectors allow you to constantly monitor the levels in your home, as Chris has successfully explained.<\/p>\n Regular tests of the environment where you spend your time is recommended. So, you should be testing your home more than once per year, but at least once if you want to keep things minimal.<\/p>\n Companies like Airthings\u00a0also offer a radon detector – similar to a smoke or carbon monoxide detector – which can be used to identify regular\u00a0levels in your home. This is not out of the question, especially if you live in an area that is more susceptible to radon gas<\/a>.<\/p>\n Click here to visit the Air Things website…<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\nRadon Testing Is Key<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a>The invisible gas can seep into your home, where it collects in greater amounts. Since it doesn\u2019t have an odor, there\u2019s no way to tell if you\u2019re living in a dangerous environment or not, at least not without testing.<\/p>\nHow Much Radon Is Too Much?<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Radon is hazardous, period. It doesn’t matter what the limit is, you want to alleviate exposure to the gas as much as possible, and that’s true of any building or residence where you spend a majority of your time.<\/p>\nRadon Can Be a Problem In Schools, Daycares, and Nurseries<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a>But since radon causes the most damage over a long-term period, it\u2019s our children we should be worried about.<\/p>\nEveryone Should Know\u00a0About Radon<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a>You can find all of these stats \u2013 and more \u2013 listed on the official US Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n