We all want to feel safe in our homes. In fact, they are the places where we want to feel the most safe. But one in every fifteen homes in the United States has radon levels the the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would consider to be dangerous. Radon is an odorless, tasteless gas that is sometimes found in homes. Radon, though initially difficult to detect because of its invisible nature, is far from harmless.
Radon has many serious consequences after long term exposure, particularly that a person’s risk of contracting lung cancer rises by over 15%. The EPA and the Surgeon General have estimated that radon exposure causes around 20,000 lung cancer deaths every year in the United States alone, making it the second leading cause of lung cancer and deaths from it.
Fortunately, however, hiring a radon testing contractor can help to not only identify the presence of radon in your home, but help to eliminate it as well. Residential radon testing services can send an experienced radon testing contractor to your home, where they will explain the process and different methods of testing for radon, as well as discuss your options if the presence of radon is found in your home at levels above what the EPA deems to be safe.
There are two kinds of tests: short term and long term. If a radon testing contractor decides to do a short term test, it means that radon levels will be measured in your home for anywhere from two to ninety days (this depends on the particular device that is used). Long term detectors can be installed to detect radon for ninety days or longer.
If radon is detected in your home, a radon testing contractor might first recommend what are called passive methods of reducing the radon concentration. These passive methods might include taking steps as simple as turning on fans and open windows. Passive methods alone have been shown to reduce the concentration of radon and radon levels by up to 50%. Renting a radon fan often is the final necessary step that families must take, and it helps considerably to reduce the remaining radon.
Reducing radon in homes has been projected to have a huge effect on lung cancer deaths, reducing them by as much as four percent. That’s 5,000 people, all from testing for radon and reducing it in homes around the country.
