!: Answer How To Fix Radon Problem: October 2011

!: Radon Dangers

Radon gas is not something that should be taken lightly. It's a radioactive gas that comes from the natural decay of uranium and can be found in nearly all soils and rocks that contain uranium, granite, shale or phosphate. It's not hard for radon to seep into a home through cracks and openings, and once it becomes concentrated in a closed space (like a house) it increases the risk of lung cancer.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a building with a radon measurement at or above 4.0 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) must be mitigated. Radon mitigation systems are available that are specially designed to reduce radon levels in a building. The EPA recommends remediation methods that prevent radon from entering a house by drawing the radon from below the basement or crawl space floor and pushing it outside. There are a number of other radon mitigation techniques such as sealing, house/room pressurization, heat recovery ventilation, and natural ventilation.

Natural Life reports that as radon decays, it produces decay products called radon daughters or radon progeny, which emit alpha particles. When alpha particles hit something, the energy in them is absorbed on the surface of whatever they hit. Human skin is too thick to be affected but bronchial and lung tissue is susceptible. When you breathe in the alpha particles they can get stuck in your lungs, and then radiate and penetrate the lung tissue forming cancer cells.

Radon gas can enter a house through small spaces in the soil and rock. Natural Life writes that it seeps in through dirt floors, solid floors, gaps in suspended floors, gaps around service pipes, cracks in concrete walls, sumps, joints, basement drains, under the furnace base and jack posts if the base is submerged in the floor. It can also come in through well water and be released into the air when the water is used. Radon levels are usually highest in basements and rooms that are in direct contact with soil.

Smoking increases the risk of exposure to radon. When tobacco crops are fertilized, radon gas collects under the canopy that tobacco leaves form, and tiny dust particles with radon daughters cling to each leaf. Whenever smokers inhale from a cigarette, they are breathing in the radon daughters.

The EPA has a map on its website showing what areas are more at risk for radon, so if you're uncertain check your state here: www.epa.gov/radon/whereyoulive.html. If you'd like to know just how much radon is in your home, contact a professional radon mitigation specialist to perform a radon test.