Food & Drink
FinanceWhat You Ought to Know About Radon in Your Home
Your home is the one place where you probably feel most safe and secure. One of the smartest things you can do to ensure your home is safe is to have it tested for radon.
Radon is an invisible and odorless radioactive gas that is formed by the natural radioactive decay of uranium in rock, soil, and water. Radon can be found all over the world and unless you test for it, there is no way of telling how much is present.
The problem with radon is the risk to your health in the form of lung cancer. Exposure to radon gas is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, according to EPA estimates. Overall, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer and is responsible for about 21,000 deaths every year.
So how do you find out if your home is at risk? A test kit can be ordered from the National Safety Council or you can hire a local qualified tester. I recently had my house tested for Radon Gas and found out that my house registered 5.1 pCi/L (picoCuries per liter of air). The EPA strongly recommends action for any house with a concentration higher than 4 pCi/L, and encourages action starting at 2 pCi/L. This means that at 5.1 I definitely need to take action. The primary means of lowering radon levels is the use of a vent pipe system and fan. The installation of this system typically costs around $1200.
A Citizen’s Guide to Radon is a great resource from the EPA that has all the information you need to determine if a radon test is right for you. Both the EPA and the Surgeon General recommend testing all homes below the third floor for radon. Taking the time to ensure your home has safe levels of radon is both smart and healthy.
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