What is Radon?

Radon is an odorless, tasteless, invisible gas that can get into homes by traveling up through the ground.

---- Normally, radon is released from the ground into the air and is quickly dissipated, but if a home has cracks in its foundation, radon gas can get into your home.

----- Radon can also get into the home through well water as you shower; however, it’s more common for radon to leak into your home from underground.

---- Radon can be very dangerous and has been proven to even cause cancer. If your home has a high concentration of radon, your risk of health issues increases dramatically. The Surgeon General has declared radon to be the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S.

---- Radon is found almost everywhere, so completely avoiding it is impossible, but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advises that action should be taken when indoor levels of radon reach 4.0 pCi/l (picocurries of radon per liter of air). Currently, the average amount of radon in the average American home is 1.3 pCi/l.

---- If you are buying or selling a home, or if you have not recently had the interior of your home tested for radon exposure, you should have your home tested by an individual who is qualified through the EPA Radon Measurement Proficiency (RMP) Program and/or certified by the National Radon Safety Board.

---- If you find the source the radon is seeping into, such as a crack in your foundation or a crawlspace, sometimes placing plastic sheeting over the ground can help reduce radon levels. If you have a concrete floor in your basement, check for cracks and have them properly sealed. In some cases, a suction system called a sub-floor de-pressurization system can draw the air from under the basement floor and exhaust it outside of the home.

----- While radon is definitely dangerous in high concentrations, making a few repairs can effectively help protect your home from exposure.