A number of hazards may present themselves in a house. Hurricanes and tornadoes present with strong winds that may buffet a house, damage its roof tiles, and even strike it with windblown debris. A fire may start and damage the structure or even burn it down, and houses near a fault line may be shaken by earthquakes. But not all threats to the house are so easy to see. Another hazard, radon gas, is a common issue in American houses and is deadly even if this gas can’t be seen, tasted, or smelled. In fact, this gas is radioactive and may cause lung cancer and even kill if the concentration is high enough and a homeowner constantly exposed to it. But radon testing companies can help, and make radon gas testing possible. Radon mitigation may be done to clear out and refresh the home’s air if the radon gas test comes back with positive results. When should a homeowner reach out to radon testing companies? What can those radon testing companies provide?
The Hazards of Radon Gas
As noted above, radon gas is odorless, tasteless, and invisible, and it is radioactive. Where does it come from? This gas emits naturally from the ground, and many American houses are built right on top of deposits of this dangerous gas. Over time, that gas may seep into the house through the ground floor (or basement, if there is one) and start to fill the air lower in the house. The concentration may continue to climb until people and pets in the house start https://www.thecourtyardclinic.co.uk/buy-cialis-tadalafil-online-uk/ suffering from adverse effects. It is believed that one in 15 American homes today contains radon levels at or above the EPA’s action level for gas concentrations. If inhaled enough, this gas may cause dizziness, chest pain, and nausea, and in greater concentrations, has been known to cause lung cancer. The Surgeon General has announced recently that radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. today. Tragically, as many as 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year a due to radon gas poisoning, so it is clear that something should be done.
Detect and Clear Out Radon Gas
Not all American homes have radon in them, but some do, and this gas requires specialized equipment from radon testing companies to detect properly. A person breathing it in may suffer radioactive exposure similar to standing at the border fence of a nuclear waste site, in fact, and no one would want that. A homeowner who takes the initiative may choose to contact radon testing companies and check their online catalogs for a testing kit, and some local hardware stores might stock those test kits as well, all available for commercial purchase. These kits may be either the short term or long term version, depending on the homeowner’s estimated safe time frame for testing. A short term test will operate for 90 days and send data to a radon testing site, but this may result in slightly inaccurate results at times. If the homeowner has the time, they can obtain a long-term testing kit, which will test the air for more than 90 days and bring accurate results.
Such a test kit will be placed in the basement or ground floor and allowed to sit there and gather air samples, carefully screening the air for radon gas. The test kit will transmit its data to a testing center, which will in turn contact the homeowner with the results. If the radon gas is indeed at or above the EPA’s action level, then the homeowner should take action at once. Professionals may be contacted to set up mitigation devices that will help expel the radon gas, and all doors and windows may be opened to allow air to flow. What is more, foundation experts may be called upon to seal cracks, holes, or other faults in the foundation or basement floor that allowed radon gas to get into the home to begin with. All of these countermeasures will help keep a household safe from the potentially deadly effects of breathing in this radioactive gas. And in extreme cases, the household might simply move away.
