You have just been informed that you have high levels of radon in your house. Now what do you do? What steps do you take to immediately reduce the levels and ensure that the air quality is safe for you and your family? Radon can be very dangerous, especially at high levels, so it is important that you take action as soon as possible.
Don?t panic. High levels of radon are dangerous for long periods
You do not necessarily need to panic. Radon might be more common thank you think, and it is only usually dangerous at extended periods of time. While you do not want to ignore it, it is likely that you have time to figure out how to get rid of radon. Additionally, radon abatement services can take a while and you want to make sure it is completed correctly. Just to give you an idea on its presence. According to the US EPA, nearly 1 in 3 homes checked in seven states and on three Indian lands had radon screening levels over 4 pCiL, the EPA?s recommended action level for radon exposure.
Evaluate the radon test reports
It is important to know how high your house?s radon levels are. Are there traces of radon, but the traces are not high enough to warrant additional local radon testing? If your test is right on the border of action levels, it can be helpful to schedule more residential radon testing services. Multiple residential radon testing services allow you to compare results against each other and then make abatement choices.
Contact local radon mitigation and abatement companies
Once you have made the decision to have the radon removed, you will want to begin consulting with local radon mitigation and abatement companies. Find one that can come out early and that has experience with removing radon from residential properties. Don?t skimp on services because of cost. Properly removing the radon from your house can be a matter of life and death. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and the Surgeon General?s Office have estimated that as many as 20,000 lung cancer deaths are caused each year by radon.
Get additional testing after abatement
The best way to make sure that all traces of the radon have been removed from your house is to schedule additional residential radon testing services. Some radon mitigation companies will provide you with an additional report after the abatement. If they do not, however, you will want to purchase one anyways. Make sure the radon levels have been brought below the recommended action levels.
Understand the rating levels
It can also be helpful to understand what the different radon levels mean. The radon company will talk with you about radon abatement, based on radon levels. An example of rating levels is a family whose home has radon levels of 4 pCil is exposed to approximately 35 times as much radiation as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would allow if that family was standing next to the fence of a radioactive waste site. Keep this in mind when considering where your current and post abatement levels are.
Many homes in the United States have high radon levels. Finding out that your house is above the recommended action level can be overwhelming. Fortunately, with residential radon testing services and abatement services, you can effectively remove high traces of radon from your property. Additional testing can ensure that your property stays below the recommended action levels and that the abatement was completed correctly.
