Folks who reside in homes with constant exposure to high levels of radon may face serious health consequences. As a result, radon gas testing should be an important part of routine maintenance for every property. In fact, it should be included with a typical local radon testing and inspection.
Any qualified tester can perform radon gas testing in your home. As it’s a relatively simple and easy process, testing for radon can take just a few minutes to complete. Nonetheless, it can provide valuable protection for your family against the perils of radon gas exposure.
You should hire a radon testing contractor as soon as you can to find out if your home has high radon levels – keep in mind that one out of every 15 houses in the United States are deemed to be at or above the EPA action level for radon.
Understand What Radon Is
So what exactly is radon gas, anyway? It’s a radioactive gas with no color, taste, or odor that occurs naturally during the breakdown of uranium material found in groundwater, rock, and soil. When radon comes into contact with air as it rises through the ground or other composites, the interaction will cause it to solidify into tiny particles.
When radon breaks down, it produces a number of other radioactive elements. It’s capable of being assimilated into the air in houses and even buildings. Then, when this lethal gas gets absorbed into the air and seeps into your home, it can cause severe health hazards not only to yourself but also to your entire household.
It’ll be dangerous for your family to breathe in air with high levels of radon. The alpha particles of the gas can enter the lungs, causing severe health complications and fatal damage over time.
Health Risks Caused by Exposure to Radon
Radon gas is the causal factor in approximately 20,000 lung cancer cases each year. In fact, it comes second in terms of the leading causes of the disease.
Most people do not believe in the risks involved with radon exposure. However, it can cause numerous health problems that can even be fatal. Exposure to radon gas has also been found to have a link to a variety of diseases, including the following:
- Lung cancer
- Lymph node cancer
- Nasal and throat cancer
- Breast or mammary cancer
- Skin cancer
Several research studies investigating the effects of radon exposure on people’s wellbeing have been conducted by experts, and the findings are definitive. Indeed, the amount of fatalities caused by radon is simply astounding. The experts discovered a substantial link between radon exposure and cancer.
For a person who smokes cigarettes, there is a dramatic increase in the risks posed by continuous and consistent radon exposure. Burning either wood, coal, or other gas-emitting materials in the home is another element that can raise the risk to elevated levels.
However, even if you don’t have a smoking habit or don’t burn wood or coal in the fireplace, you should still have radon gas testing done for your residence.
How to Perform Radon Gas Testing
To check your home for radon levels, a number of approaches are available.
The first method is extremely simple. You can buy a do-it-yourself test kit that you can find at any hardware store. These relatively brief radon tests, which provide an estimate of the amount of radon in your home, are simple to perform and are frequently used in real estate property deals and transactions.
Another approach is to have your home tested for radon gas by professionals. Highly qualified testers will come to your residence and accurately determine the radon levels. Following that, they will provide you with a document containing the findings, which you can also forward to the EPA.
The third option is to have comprehensive radon testing followed by installing complete radon mitigation and abatement system. You will reduce the health risks from radon by electing to have this done.
Keep Radon Gas at Bay
If you’re worried about getting exposed to radon in your own home, you should have it tested as soon as you can. To do radon testing Colorado and other states have many companies that can assist you in evaluating your home. Reducing radon in your home’s air can provide you with a sense of security and protection from this serious health risk.