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Radon Gas
What is Radon Gas?
Radon is an invisible and odorless radioactive gas, which occurs naturally from decaying uranium underneath the Earth’s surface. Though you cannot see, smell, or taste radon, it is there and may be a problem in your home or office. Radon Gas rises through the soil and seeps through cracks, holes, and drain pipes in the foundation or basement of your home or office. Radon gas can be found all over the United States and according to the EPA.
1 out of every 15 homes in the United States has high levels of Radon Gas.
Radon Test Kits
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What can Radon Gas Do To You?
Radon Gas contains radioactive particles which get trapped in your lungs every time you breathe. As the Radon Gas particles break down, they release bursts of radiation that damage or destroy your lung tissue which causes lung cancer and long- term exposure may even cause death. In fact, the EPA has estimated that there are between 5,000 and 30,000 radon-related lung cancer deaths each year and that Radon Gas is the #1 cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.
How Do You Find Out If You Have A Radon Gas Problem?
To find out if Radon Gas is a problem in your home or office, you must conduct a radon test.
It is a good idea to retest your home at least every two years to be sure radon levels remain low.
War-A-Lon Inc. provides Pro-Lab Professional Radon Gas Test Kit’s, which meets all new EPA and State guidelines. It is the most accurate and reliable test Kit available to check the level of Radon Gas in your home or office.
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WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU FIND A RADON PROBLEM
IN YOUR HOME OR OFFICE?
There are several methods that a contractor can use to lower radon levels in your home. Some techniques prevent radon from entering your home while others reduce radon levels after it has entered. EPA generally recommends methods which prevent the entry of radon. Soil suction, for example, prevents radon from entering your home by drawing the radon from below the house and venting it through a pipe, or pipes, to the air above the house where it is quickly diluted.
Any information that you may have about the construction of your house could help your contractor choose the best system. Your contractor will perform a visual inspection of your house and design a system that considers specific features of your house. If this inspection fails to provide enough information, the contractor will need to perform diagnostic tests during the initial phase of the installation to help develop the best radon reduction system for your home. For instance, your contractor can use chemical smoke to find the source and direction of air movement. A contractor can learn air-flow sources and directions by watching a small amount of smoke that he or she shot into holes, drains, sumps, or along cracks. The sources of air-flow show possible radon routes. A contractor may have concerns about back-drafting of combustion appliances when considering radon mitigation options, and may recommend that the homeowner have the
appliance(s) checked by a qualified inspector.
Another type of diagnostic test is a "soil communication test." This test uses a vacuum cleaner and chemical smoke to determine how easily air can move from one point to another under the foundation. By inserting a vacuum cleaner hose in one small hole and using chemical smoke in a second small hole, a contractor can see if the smoke is pulled down into the second hole by the force of the vacuum cleaner's suction. Watching the smoke during a soil communication test helps a contractor decide if certain radon reduction systems would work well in your house.
Whether diagnostic tests are needed is decided by details specific to your house, such as the foundation design, what kind of material is under your house, and by the contractor's experience with similar houses and similar radon test results.
TO FIND FURTHER INFORMATION ON RADON REDUCTION PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/consguid.html#reductiontech
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state radon offices have determined that the most accurate method to test for radon gas is to use 2 calibrated short-term radon gas detectors at the same time, in the same location and then take the average results from both detectors to get the most accurate radon level of your home or office. (According to EPA’s booklet “A citizen’s Guide to Radon”).
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/citguide.html.
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