Is Radon Gas in Your Home?

August 27, 2015 Is Radon Gas in Your Home?

What is radon gas?

Radon is an odorless and colorless radioactive gas. It is a naturally occurring gas which can be discovered in low levels just about everywhere.

Radon comes from the natural decay of uranium, which is a radioactive element found in the ground. If radon gas becomes trapped in your home, a concentration of radon gas can increase in your home’s indoor air, and the exposure to the gas becomes a matter of genuine concern.

Believe it or not, radon gas can kill! Here’s what the World Health Organization (WHO) says about this deadly gas. Dr. Maria Neira of WHO states that radon gas is a problem in homes worldwide. She says: “Most radon-induced lung cancers occur from low and medium dose exposure in people’s homes. Radon is the second most important cause of lung cancer after smoking in many countries.”

How does radon gas enter your home?

The gas travels upward through the ground. Once it surfaces, it can either dissipate into the air, where it is of little threat, or it can leak into your home. Entry points can be foundation cracks, floor drains, through the chimney, utility entrances etc. Once inside, it can become trapped and possibly cause health problems for those living inside the house.

How to know if your home is at risk from radon gas:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advocates that you test for the presence of radon gas in your home. There are two routine ways of testing for it, a long-term and a short-term passive test. There are do-it-yourself radon test kits that can be purchased for as little as $7 for a short-term test, and upwards of $100 for a long-term test.

Short-term: A short-term test kit is the quickest, least expensive way to detect radon gas. It remains in your home for two days to 90 days. Just make certain that you purchase an EPA (or a similar environmental agency) approved kit. While the short-term test will yield the fastest results at the lowest cost, it may not be quite as accurate as the long-term test, because gas levels can fluctuate day to day and season to season.

Long-term: A long-term test remains in your home for 90 days or more. Long term testing is more expensive, and of course, takes longer. However, if you wish to know the true average level of Radon over a longer period of time, you may want to go this route.

For more information, you may want to check out the EPA flyer “A Citizen’s Guide to Radon”.