What is Radon?
Everyone knows the leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S is smoking, but do you know the second leading cause?
An estimated 21,000 preventable deaths in the United States are attributed to the indoor exposure of Radon gas.
What is this Radon?
Radon is the decay of radioactive elements like radium and uranium found in soil and the rocks below the ground. It is a colorless and odorless gas that occurs naturally in much of the United States.
This gas enters your home through cracks in the foundation, and typically accumulates in the lowest level of your home such as the basement.
The only way to know if you have a problem, is to test for it.
The Environment Protection Agency, has an action threshold of 4.0 picocuries (pCi) per liter. According to the Surgeon General, living above this level is equivalent to smoking half a pack of cigarettes a day.
Where I live in Clark County, Nevada the numbers show that about 9% of homes tested are at concentrations above the EPA’s action threshold. To see a radon potential map of Nevada see unce.unr.edu. For all other states checkout the EPA’s radon zones.
Again, the only way to know if you have a problem, is to test.
Different homes are on top of different levels of soil, and some foundations are more sound than others. Even next door neighbors can have very different levels of radon.
How Do I Test?
The easiest way is to get a home test kit available at any home goods store or online.
There are short term tests, which take about 48 hours, and long term tests which can take up to 90 days or longer.
Radon gas levels can fluctuate by season, so it’s a very good idea to retest later in the year if your results show up low with the short test.
Short term tests can be very cheap, around $15 while long term tests are about $20-$25. You’ll need to send your results to a lab to get tested. If you buy elsewhere make sure your kit comes with that fee already included (these ones do).
Once you test your home, send in the results and wait to see.
If your levels are below 4 pCi, you’re in the green. However, as mentioned earlier, if you used a short term test you might want to retest at another time in the year.
What do I do if I test too high?
If your level is above 4, it’s time to call in a professional to install a radon gas mitigation system.
This Youtube video shows the process better than I can type it. But basically they come and drill a hole in your basement and install an air pump to outside your house so that any trapped gas in the soil below doesn’t have the chance to filter inside.
In addition to your initial test results, many families opt into using one of the newer portable Home detecting monitors.
They can be a bit pricier, however they negate the need to send in your results to a lab and can provide long term results that you can keep an eye on over the years.
Good luck in testing your home, we pray you and your family do not have the slightest radon problem but if you do we hope you take full advantage of the preventative measures!
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