Radon is a chemical that is both odorless, unable to be discerned by the naked eye, and tasteless. Therefore, it is a substance that passes under the radar for many people all throughout the United States. As a matter of fact, many of these people don’t even know that radon is a chemical that exists in the first place. But radon is much more prevalent than many people – even those who are aware of radon – actually realize. As a matter of fact, up to one fifteenth of all homes actually meet or exceed the action levels for radon that have been set by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the concentration of radon in their homes quite high indeed. And in certain parts of the country, such as on Native American reservations, radon concentrations are particularly high, with up to one third of these homes have action level levels of radon within them. Therefore, it is clear to see that radon in homes is a larger problem than many people actually realize.
And radon in homes is most certainly a problem. After all, radon exposure – especially to high levels of radon over an extended period of time – has been linked to a number of different health conditions, none of which are to be taken lightly. Most prominently, radon exposure has deep ties to lung cancer. As a matter of fact, data has established radon exposure to even be one of the leading causes of radon exposure, second to smoking and consumption of other such tobacco products alone. Over the course of just one single year here in the United States alone, it is likely that up to 20,000 people will lose their lives in lunch cancer cases that have been directly caused by radon exposure. Therefore, it is hugely important for each and every one of us to be aware of the threat of radon in our homes.
Fortunately, this is something that will be easier to determine than you might think. After all, testing for radon is a more common procedure than many people realize. As a matter of fact, testing for radon can even be done in more than one way. For instance, the residential radon testing services that you hire is likely to use a short term testing device as a way of testing for radon. This method of testing for radon will be good for as many as 90 days – or around three months. However, testing for radon through residential radon testing services can certainly extend past this time marker, though a long term radon testing device will need to be utilized in order for this to be the case. Fortunately, the average radon testing company will likely have access to both kinds of tests and will readily be able to distribute them in homes and even commercial buildings when it has been determined that they are needed.
If high levels of radon are detected in your home, it is hugely important that you do not panic. While this is certainly a scary thing – especially if you are well versed with the risks that radon exposure can hold for you over the course of time – it is important that you remember that there are methods of radon mitigation that have been found to be quite impactful indeed. As a matter of fact, radon mitigation effectiveness is quite high indeed even for some of the more passive systems and methods of mitigation. Such methods can include a number of things, such as radon ventilation fans which, when installed, can actually reduce overall radon levels by as much as 50%, as testing for radon can discover.
There is no doubting the fact that radon is dangerous, but testing for radon in your home can help you to better understand your risk levels and how to mitigate any radon that might be present. Ultimately, there are ways in which radon levels can be reduced with a huge deal of effectiveness indeed, but it is also hugely important to remember that having testing for radon performed in your home and fully understanding the threat of radon in the first place will be particularly important.
