It’s possible you may not be aware you and your family are being exposed to radon in your home. Radon, which is invisible to the naked eye, has no discernible taste or scent. Furthermore, even though it is a natural gas, it is radioactive and known to cause cancer.
Radon can be found in the ground, can seep into the soil and into well water. Since radon can also be found in some building materials, it can enter your home this way.
If radon is present in or around your home, when your basement becomes flooded, or if you have another type of water leak, radon could contaminate any standing or flowing water.
One of the ways exposure can occur is through inhaling or ingesting radon-contaminated water. If you suspect that you have radon in your home, contact a reputable company for radon testing and inspection.
If you’ve purchased or are about to purchase a new home, it would be a good idea to research residential radon testing services in your area to make sure this dangerous gas isn’t present. It has been determined that approximately 1-in-15 homes exceed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) action levels for radon.
While screening for exposure in seven states and across three Indian lands, the EPA determined that almost one-in-three homes had action-level exposure. The recommended level at which action needs to be taken is 4 pCi/L, and these homes exceeded that level.
If your home has radon levels of 4 pCi/l, you and your family are being exposed to dangerous levels. To give you an idea of the magnitude, it’s 35 times more than the Nuclear Regulatory Commission allows. It would be as if you were in close proximity to a radioactive waste site’s barrier fence.
Radon Detection Devices
There are devices that provide both short and long-term detectors. When testing for the concentration of radon levels, a short-term detector measures radon levels for 2-to-90 days, while the long-term detector measures them for more than 90 days.
Reducing and Alleviating Radon Exposure
Passive systems have been shown to be capable of reducing indoor radon levels by more than 50%. A radon ventilation fan can be used to reduce these levels even further.
If your basement tends to flood, or if you have any standing bodies of water due to leaks or other plumbing issues, you may want to install a sump pump. A local sump pump excavation company can install one for your home. It is a simple device and solution to clear the water from your basement and other areas which may have flooded. It can also handle some solid materials such as sand and silt.
When you purchase a new home with an existing sump pump, it would also be a good idea to contact a local sump pump excavation company to ensure that it’s in good working order. If not, they can remove it and install a new one.
Radon and Lung Cancer
If exposed to high concentrations of radon over a long period of time, there is an increased risk, estimated at 16%, of developing lung cancer. By lowering radon contamination to below the EPA’s action levels, the number of deaths due to lung cancer can be reduced by 2-to-4%, according to some scientists’ estimations.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Surgeon General’s Office estimate that there are approximately 20,000 deaths due to radon exposure. Furthermore, the Surgeon General claims that it is the second leading cause of lung cancer.
To protect your family from the adverse health effects of radon exposure, contact a residential radon testing service to make sure there is no radon in your home or surrounding grounds. If your basement does tend to flood, and you don’t have a sump pump, then it would be a wise decision to contact a local sump pump excavation company to install one.
Since you want to protect the investment you made in your home as well, you want to avoid having any standing water due to floods, broken pipes, or other plumbing issues. Not only can this cause damage in your basement, it can also damage carpets, walls, and other belongings. When you contact a local sump pump excavation company, they can address your dewatering needs.
