Your home’s safety is important to you.
You do everything in your power to make sure your house is a place of security, not doubt and fear. What happens, though, when one of the biggest threats to your family’s health is unable to be detected by your eyes or nose? Radon gas is a deadly chemical that can crop out of nowhere, affecting your health before you know it and putting you at risk for cancer. Even worse, it’s unable to be mitigated through DIY methods. Many Americans today have no idea their home is filled with abnormally high concentrations of radon.
Residential radon testing services are the only way to determine your health risk and improve it through mitigation. Here’s how.
Radon Gas Has No Odor Or Color
You might be wondering if you can figure out if there’s any gas in or around your home. Unfortunately, radon gas is as difficult as it is because it has no discernible scent, odor, or taste. While you can figure out if your home has an excess of dust, radon gas is far more tricky. A residential radon testing service is the only way to know for sure if your home has above the recommended exposure level. The side-effects have a tendency to show up months, potentially years, after the fact.
Lung Cancer Rates Are Rising
A serious issue that’s best handled as soon as possible is lung cancer. Even if you don’t smoke, this is a health condition that can sneak up on you before you know it. The Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer today. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (or US EPA) has also warned as many as 20,000 lung cancer deaths are caused every year by radon. Add indoor and outdoor air pollution and it’s small wonder why so many Americans aren’t as healthy as they could be.
More Homes Than Average Have Radon Gas
Just how likely is it that your home could be exposed to radon gas? According to recent data by the US EPA, one out of three homes checked across seven states and three Indian lands have a higher-than-average level. Additional studies have found one out of 15 American homes are estimated to have radon levels either at or above the EPA action level. Your local radon mitigation company can provide you with the necessary tools to know for sure. It’s best not to leave such a serious issue to chance.
A Testing Service Can Determine Your Risk
Your first and most important step is to figure out your risk level. The risk of lung cancer has been found to increase by at least 15% per 100 Bq/m increase in long time average radon exposure. Short-term detectors will measure radon levels for two to 90 days, depending on the device, while long-term tests will go beyond 90 days. Scientists have estimated lung cancer deaths can be reduced by 2% to 4% by lowering radon levels. That’s as many as 5,000 lives saved per year.
Local Sump Pump Excavation Can Improve Your Home’s Safety
Should your home have higher-than-average levels of radon exposure, there’s no need to panic. A radon abatement service can provide you with several tools to help. Passive systems of mitigation have been proven to reduce indoor radon levels by more than 50%. Radon ventilation fans added to the mix can reduce it even further. Local radon testing is becoming more common than ever as more Americans become aware of the hidden dangers in their home.
A little goes a long way…on both sides of the fence. Reach out to a residential radon testing service this year and give yourself some peace-of-mind.
