What is Radon?
Radon is a colorless, natural occuring gas that is produced by the breakdown of uranium. As it arrives at the earth’s surface it dissipates into the atmosphere. When it comes into contact with a building, however, it is drawn into that structure.
This is because the home acts like a big chimney. Heat generated in the home rises and causes slight negative pressure at the lower levels. All gases move naturally from high pressure to low so the radon is drawn into the house.
Radon attaches itself to dust, pollen and other particles in the air. Alpha radiation is taken into one’s lungs where there is nothing to protect them from its effects. Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.
The best way to determine if the level in your home is too high is to hire a professional to conduct a test using a continuous monitor. DIY kits are extremely susceptibly to erroneous results (high or low) because of humidity, temperature, placement, direct sunlight and many other sources (FYI, I am not in the radon testing business).
Tests average $150 or so. Results of less than 4.0 PiC/L are acceptable. Results higher than that should be properly mitigated. It is best to have a professional assess a situation personally to give you an accurate estimate for the price of a mitigation system.
If you have any further questions about radon, get in touch with us. We might not know the answers, but we know who does.
Thanks for listening,
Dan Cypress
April 1st, 2008 at 11:23 am
Thanks for your post about the dangers of radon.
Being odorless, colorless, and tasteless, the only way to know the radon level in your house is to conduct a test. You can’t just assume that your house doesn’t have elevated radon because your neighbor conducted a test that didn’t find elevated levels.
Keep up the good work.