Radon gas exposure occurs in one out of every fifteen homes. According to the EPA, Radon claims over 20,000 lives each year due to lung cancer. Radon gas exposure is a result of decayed uranium found in soil across North America. This radioactive gas travels from the ground up, making its way into the air and your home through a variety of sources:
· Floor and wall cracks
· Gaps around pipes
· Hollows in walls
· Spaces between suspended floors
· Basement drains
The American Lung Association and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention advise that radon gas exposure is especially harmful to smokers and causes a formidable number of preventable deaths in non-smokers each year. The onset of lung cancer can be delayed, so think both short and long-term health.
Radon gas exposure is especially harmful in confined spaces, for example bedrooms and basements. In these areas, radon may accumulate in high levels, which poses a serious health risk. Extended radon gas exposure, even at low levels, can have adverse effects on your health. Furthermore, because of radon’s radioactive properties, when it decays it produces what is referred to as radon daughters (radon progeny) that decay rapidly, adding alpha particles that deteriorate lung and bronchial tissue when inhaled.
Minimizing the risk of radon gas exposure is important. Regardless of how long you’ve lived in your home, reducing radon levels will decrease your risk of developing lung cancer. Consider testing your home to find out the radon levels.
Radon does not have a smell or color, so it is virtually undetectable unless you test your home. The higher the radon levels, the sooner you will need to take remedial measures. You may wish to:
· Renovate basement floors
· Fix cracks in walls, floors, drains and pipes
· Ventilating sub floors
· Using an air filtration system that vents radon gas from the indoor source to outside.
· Equipping your home with an air purifier loaded with granular activated carbon and HEPA technology will help regulate your level of radon gas exposure and protect against other gaseous and particle pollutants that compromise your indoor air quality.
When purchasing a new home, be sure to ask the right questions.
· Ask if the home has been tested and whether radon was found
· Ask if any measures were taken to reduce radon levels
· Ask if there are particular areas of the home with higher concentrations of radon
