When Was the Last Time Your Home Was Checked for Its Radon Levels?

 

Knowing that your family is safe is important. In fact, many would argue that the safety of their family is the most important thing.
If you want to be certain that your family is safe, it makes sense that you should pay attention to the air that is in your home. Unfortunately, other than when a home is sold, few home owners take the time to check or monitor the radon levels in their house. Radon, a radioactive noble gas is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. High levels of radon in a home have been associated with the risk of lung cancer and other serious health conditions. In fact, the risk of lung cancer increases by 16% for every 100 Bq/m increase in long time average radon concentration. Knowing that they can contract with a radon mitigation company to eliminate this risk, however, prompts many home owners to check these levels in their home, even when they are not in the process of selling.
Looking out for the health of your family should certainly be as, if not more, important than looking out for the safety of the next owners of your house.
Consider some of these other facts and figures about residential radon testing services that are available and the impact these services have on the nation’s economy:

• The Surgeon General’s Office and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have estimated that as many as 20,000 lung cancer deaths are caused each year by radon.
• The Surgeon General has also warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in America today, an indicator of how important it is to make sure that your are testing for radon in the home where you live.
• Depending on the device, short-term detectors measure radon levels for two days to 90 days.
• Long-term radon tests, on the other hand, determine the average concentration for more than 90 days.
• Sump pump installation is one of the ways that mitigation companies address radon levels in some areas of the country.
• Becasue one in 15 U.S. homes is estimated to have radon levels at or above the EPA action level it is important to make testing for radon a priority if you want to keep your family safe.

As you near the holidays and prepare to spend time in your home with your friends and family, make sure that the air they are breathing is safe. By scheduling a radon test, you can find out if your home has dangerous levels that need to be mitigated. Testing for radon is an easy way to make sure that the air your family breathes is safe.