Our homes should be the place where we feel the safest and most comfortable. While this is true most of the time, there are a few dangerous things that can make our homes unsafe. One of these things is radon gas. If you haven’t heard of radon until now, you may not even be aware of its presence in your home. We’ll answer the question, “What is radon and how does it affect your home?” in this article.
What Is Radon?
Radon gas comes up from deep inside the Earth’s crust. Some places have a higher concentration of radon than others. It is an odorless, tasteless, and invisible radioactive gas that is hard to detect without the proper testing equipment. Even if you think your home is protected against radon, it is still recommended you test for it to make sure there are safe levels inside of your house.
How Does Radon Affect Me?
When you ask, “What is radon and how does it affect your home,” there are a few things you need to address. Radon gas won’t actually affect your house at all, but it can significantly impact the people living inside of it. Radon is a dangerous, radioactive gas that has been classified as the second most common cause of lung cancer behind smoking. If you smoke in your home, radon can exacerbate issues that arise from that as well.
How Do I Test for Radon?
Radon testing is actually fairly simple. All you need to do is ensure that your house’s doors and windows stay closed for a few days before you begin a test. You can buy a test for yourself or call in a professional to administer the test for you. The testing device will need to stay put for a few days before being sent to a lab for analysis on the concentration of radon in your home.
Can I Mitigate the Risks of Radon?
There are a number of ways to protect yourself from the dangers of radon gas. If your test has shown that radon in your home is at an unsafe level, a radon professional can help you decide what to do next. Special radon dispersing fans as well as effectively sealing the lower parts of your home will prevent radon from entering through the ground. Remember, if your radon levels are unsafe, you want to implement these measures as soon as you possibly can to avoid any more exposure.
