Radon gas, which is a radioactive gas that is naturally present in the soil in much of the U.S., is odorless and colorless, which is one of the reasons it is so dangerous. The other, of course, is that it has been linked to lung cancer. In fact, despite all the stories you hear about asbestos and how it causes lung cancer, it pales in comparison to the toll that radon takes. As many as 20,000 lung cancer deaths a year are due to radon exposure, and it is the second-leading cause of the disease in the U.S. after smoking. To ensure you and your family are not being exposed to too much radon, you need to have a radon testing company test the air in your home.
Radon testing is relatively painless. A radon testing company places a measuring device on the lowest floor of your home — in your basement if you have one — for a minimum of 24 hours. During this time you have to keep your windows shut and keep the opening of doors to the outside of the home to a minimum. Such a test usually costs a couple of hundred dollars and will produce results in days. Anything http://www.thelaneshealthandbeauty.com/buy-lipitor-online/ above 4 pCi/l is considered by the Environmental Protection Agency to be harmful, so if the test results come back with an amount that high, you can have a longer-term test done or you can seek to have a radon mitigation system involved. Radon abatement involves using a ventilation system to pump the radon in your home outside. You can have a passive system, but an active system that incorporates a fan will provide a much bigger reduction in radon levels.
Though it’s a good idea to have any home tested for radon by a radon testing company, there are some signs that your home may have higher levels of radon. If you have an open sump pit in your basement, it provides an easy opening for radon to come into your home, If you have cracks in your basement floors or walls, you may also be getting radon gas in your home. And certain areas of the country have more radon, so if you live in one of those areas, you should probably have radon gas testing done. Overall, it’s estimated that about one out of every 15 homes in the U.S. has radon levels that are too high.
