Radon Facts
What is Radon?
Radon is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally by the breakdown of uranium, thorium, or radium in rock, soil and underground water. Radon is one of the nation’s most important environmental threats — one that places people at risk in their own homes.
Radon under and adjacent to buildings migrates through foundations, cracks and small openings and concentrates inside buildings. You can’t smell or taste radon. The only way to know if your home has high levels of radon is to test for it.
How Does Radon Get Into Your Home?
Radon comes from the natural decay of uranium that is found in nearly all soils. It typically moves up through the ground to the air above and into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation. Your home traps radon inside, where it can build up. Any home may have radon — new and old homes, well-sealed and drafty homes, and homes with or without basements.
Radon from soil gas is the main cause of radon problems. Sometimes radon enters the home through well water. In a small number of homes, the building materials can give off radon, too.
What is EPA’s Action Level for Radon and What Does it Mean?
Radon in air is ubiquitous (existing or being everywhere at the same time). Radon is found in outdoor air and in the indoor air of buildings of all kinds. EPA recommends homes be fixed/mitigated if the radon level is 4 pCi/L (picocuries per liter) or more. Because there is no known safe level of exposure to radon, EPA also recommends that home owners consider fixing their home for radon levels between 2 pCi/L and 4 pCi/L.
The average indoor radon concentration for America’s homes is about 1.3 pCi/L. It is upon this national average indoor level that EPA based its estimate of 21,000 radon-related lung cancers a year. The average concentration of radon in outdoor air is 0.4 pCi/L.
How Often Should I Test My Home for Radon?
If your living patterns change and you begin occupying a lower level of your home, you should retest on that level. If you have a mitigation system installed, EPA suggests you retest every two years. If you have your home tested and it’s below EPA’s recommended action level, it is suggested to retest every five years as patterns in soil or HVAC could change.
What is a Radon Remediation System?
A radon remediation system reduces radon concentrations in the air of homes, offices, and other buildings. Remediating radon involves both preventing radon gas from entering the home and removing the radon gas already present in the house. These systems can use different methods to remove radon, but the goal is the same.
Why Should I Get a Radon Remediation System?
Radon is a radioactive gas that is a leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, with around 21,000 yearly deaths attributed to radon exposure. Radon enters homes through cracks, construction joints, drains, and other openings in a home’s foundation. Because radon is undetectable by human senses, the only sure way to identify and remove the gas from your home is through testing and remediating. Being proactive will help to reduce your family’s risk of lung cancer.
How Does a Radon Remediation System Work?
One of the most common questions about radon remediation is about how mitigation systems work. Generally, radon remediation systems use a fan to pull air (which can have high levels of radon) from your home into a pipe, which then vents the air out of your home. An example of a typical remediation system would involve a fan located in the attic or outside the living space, which connects to a pipe that runs down the house through the foundation and into the aggregate. The fan runs, pulling radon-laden air from the soil before it can enter the house, and vents the air above the house. The type of system you get will depend on various factors, including the style of home you have and foundation type.