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When you breathe in air that contains high levels of radon you increase your risk in contracting lung cancer. Radon is actually the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. This risk is especially high if a person smokes and there are high levels of radon gas in their home. Radon is a radioactive gas that is found in homes all over the United States. Any home can have a radon problem including newer homes and older homes. Here in NJ roughly 1 in 13 homes has a radon concentration over the EPA action level of 4 pCi per liter of air.
And if you do have high radon levels, the average cost to make your home safer is $1,500 according to the National Radon Program Services. The average concentration of radon in outdoor air is 0.4 pCi/L. The EPA recommends that if the radon level detected in a home is between 2 and 4 pCi/L, steps should be taken to reduce it to below 2 pCi/L. The data displayed isnotto be used as a measure of predicting whether an untested home does or does not have radon. The Tennessee Department of Health and the Tennessee Radon Program support the standing of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that every home should be tested in order to know that home's radon level.
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So before you buy a house, make sure you test it for radon to keep your family safe from the cancer-causing gas. These include continuous radon monitors and continuous working level monitors. These devises continually monitor and measure the radon decay products in the air.
Simple to use and listed with the EPA, the kit includes everything you need, including lab fees , recommendations, and next steps if you do detect radon. Prague, OK resides in a county which has been assigned a low risk zone by the EPA. It is recommended your home business or be tested for elevated levels for radon. Radon levels in the zip code have also been given a low assessment. If high concentrations of radon are found during a real estate transaction the buyer and seller should discuss costs and the timing of radon remediation.
When To Test for Radon
The EPA recommends that all homeowners test their homes for radon, but some homes are more likely to have actionable radon levels than others. Since it occurs naturally, you can find it anywhere, including your home, school, and even in the workplace. According to the World Health Organization, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. If your home has radon, it doesn’t mean that you’ll acquire lung cancer right away. Exposing yourself to high radon levels for a long time can damage the cells in your lungs, which can lead to lung cancer.
Radon is a radioactive gas that is found in the soil and air that we breathe in. It comes from the break down of uranium in rocks and soil, and although it is a naturally occurring gas, exposure to large amounts of radon can lead to lung cancer. According to the EPA, some remediation techniques can reduce radon levels in your home by up to 99%. You’ll want to contact a qualified contractor to handle this and request estimates like you would for any home improvement project.
The Easy Way to Check for Radon
The right system depends on the design of your home and other factors like whether your home has a basement. Unlike natural gas that has a very distinct smell, radon cannot be smelled. This means that you can have radon gas in your home without being able to detect it on your own. Radon can increase the risk of cancer, cause breathing issues, and can cause long-term health problems. If you are dealing with radon over time, you are at higher risk to suffer from illness.
Radon may also be present in well water and can be released into the air in your home when water is used for showering and other household uses. In most cases, radon entering the home through water is a small risk compared with radon entering your home from the soil. Similar mitigation measures can be installed in existing homes, especially those built on a crawl space or unfinished basement.
Radon gas has been identified as the second leading cause of lung cancer, second only to cigarette smoking. Radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year. About 2,900 of these deaths occur among people who have never smoked. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation considers radon to be a very serious problem in our state.
All of these appliances can create drafts that pull air through the home. Try to not use them during the testing period unless absolutely necessary. Younger women are getting lung cancer more often than younger men. Experts say cigarette smoking is a major reason, but it’s not the only one. You can’t touch it, see it, or smell it but radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer outside of cigarette smoking.
The central A/C may be operated while a radon test is being conducted in the home. Window units may also be used if they are well sealed, and they are operated on the recirculating setting so that fresh air is not bought into the home. New Jersey home inspectors should test for radon gas when performing home inspections in New Jersey.
However, in persistent exposures or larger quantities, radon can damage the cells of the lining of the lungs, increasing a person’s chance of developing lung cancer. Stop smoking and discourage smoking in your home.Smoking significantly increases the risk of lung cancer from radon. The radon testing kit includes information on what to do if you do have a radon problem and how to interpret the results of your test.
The EPA estimates that radon causes thousands of cancer related deaths each year in the United States. In fact, this number is roughly 21,000 cancer related deaths per year attributable to high radon gas concentrations. Be sure to check the type of certification the mitigator holds to ensure the company or person is appropriately credentialed to perform the job. It is advisable to check companies with your local Better Business Bureau to better ensure they are reputable. Due to the potential expense involved in the installation of a mitigation system, it is also recommended that the homeowner obtain bids from several companies.
When this happens indoors or in a poorly ventilated space, the released gas accumulates and becomes more concentrated. There are two types of radon testing, short-term and long-term. Both are helpful, but they should be done correctly to get the most accurate results. Although there are DIY radon testing that you can do, hiring a professional radon corrector is highly recommended. When looking for a radon contractor, make sure they have a license to conduct radon testing. Having a license means they are legal to operate, and they are knowledgeable when it comes to radon mitigation.
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