By cleaning your home and replacing air filters regularly, you are taking steps to improve your indoor air quality. While these are effective measures for clean indoor air, there could still be dangerous radon in your home which cancels out your efforts. In this article, you will learn more about radon and how to keep your family safe.
Why Radon in Your Home Is Dangerous
You may have heard about radon gas in your high school chemistry class as an element listed on the periodic table. Radon gas is formed through the natural process of radioactive uranium decomposing in the ground soil. Radon gas exposure has negative health effects that aren’t immediately noticeable. Here are a few important things that you need to know about radon in your home.
1. Radon Gas Contributes to Lung Disease
Radon gas is a known carcinogen that is directly linked to lung disease. There are typically no immediate symptoms that you experience from radon in your home, but after breathing it over many years, you could develop a life-threatening illness.
2. It Easily Enters Your Home
Radon is formed underground and gradually drifts upward through the soil. The gas enters your home through cracks in the foundation and other tiny fissures or gaps. Because homes are enclosed environments, radon gas will continue to accumulate indoors, sometimes to unsafe levels.
3. Radon is Difficult to Detect
Unlike other gases, radon gas cannot be detected by the senses alone. It has no taste or odor, and it is clear. Many people do not realize that they have been exposed to radon until they are diagnosed with lung cancer. At that point, they may have been inhaling radon gas at increasingly elevated levels for years.
4. Radon Testing
Now that you know more about the dangers of radon in your home, you understand why it’s important to know if this gas is contaminating your home’s air. The best way to determine the level of radon in your home is through professional testing. If your levels are high, you can mitigate radon by using a professional remediation company to address unsafe levels.
Now that you are aware of the effects of radon in your home and why testing is necessary, schedule your professional radon test today!
Catawba Island Home Inspections provides professional radon testing and home inspection services to Northwest Ohio. Contact us to request an appointment.