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You can hire a professional tester or do it yourself with a kit you buy at a hardware store or online. Follow the instructions for leaving the kit in your house for the required number of days. Then mail it to a lab and wait for the results. If radon levels in your home are high, you can take steps to lower them.
What are the symptoms of radon in your home?
A persistent cough could be a sign that you have radon poisoning. Persistent cough. Hoarseness. Wheezing. Shortness of breath. Coughing up blood. Chest pain. Frequent infections like bronchitis and pneumonia. Loss of appetite.
Where is radon most commonly found?
Radon levels are usually higher in basements, cellars and living spaces in contact with the ground. However, considerable radon concentration can also be found above the ground floor. Radon concentrations vary considerably between adjacent buildings, as well as within a building from day to day and from hour to hour.
How is radon gas detected?
The other method for detecting radon gas uses active monitors to detect the gas. Active monitors require a power source and provide an instantaneous readout of radon levels at any given time. Some units can calculate short-term and long-term radon levels.
Where does radon come from in a house?
Radon is a radioactive gas. It 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.
How do you eliminate radon?
Other radon reduction techniques that can be used in any type of home include: sealing, house or room pressurization, heat recovery ventilation and natural ventilation. Sealing cracks and other openings in the foundation is a basic part of most approaches to radon reduction.
How long does radon take to affect you?
Radon gas can damage cells in your lungs, which can lead to cancer. Radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States, though it usually takes 5 to 25 years to develop. Early signs and symptoms of lung cancer may include: persistent cough.
How do you know if you have been exposed to radon?
If you think you’ve been exposed Possible symptoms include shortness of breath (difficulty breathing), a new or worsening cough, pain or tightness in the chest, hoarseness, or trouble swallowing. If you smoke and you know you’ve been exposed to high levels of radon, it’s very important to quit smoking.
What type of soil is radon found in?
The U.S. Geological Survey explains that radon moves easily and quickly through porous soils, like sand and gravel, and slower through more solid soils, clay being one such example. Moisture has a lot to do with this.
What are 5 facts about radon?
Here are a few facts about radon, and what you can do to help keep your family healthy and safe. Radon is radioactive. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas. Radon causes cancer. No immediate symptoms. You must test for radon. Radon is present indoors and outdoors. Radon can build up in any building.
How do you test for radon in your home?
The only way to know how much radon is in your home is to test it. To test your home for radon, you can purchase a test kit at some hardware stores or online from several organizations that are working to reduce radon. You can also hire a certified professional to perform a test for you.
What is a radon test kit?
Product description. The First Alert RD1 Radon Gas Test Kit easily and safely allows you to check your home, work, or other spaces for dangerous radon gas.
What is the most accurate radon test?
The best radon test kit is the AccuStar Radon Test Kit. This kit is easy to use, accurate and includes quick-arriving results.
Should you walk away from a house with radon?
Should you walk away from the deal? Consumer Reports says you don’t have to. Radon-related deaths are due to exposure over the course of a lifetime. “You should definitely take it seriously but you really don’t need to walk away from the home.
Is radon testing necessary?
When you breathe air containing radon, you increase your risk of getting lung cancer. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is especially high. You Should Test for Radon. Testing is the only way to find out your home’s radon levels.
What does radon smell like?
Radon gas does not have a smell. It is odorless, colorless, tasteless, and invisible to the human eye. If you have high levels of radon in your home, you won’t notice any immediate adverse effects.
Can air purifiers remove radon?
Can an air purifier help with radon? Yes, an air purifier with an activated carbon filter can successfully eliminate the gas from the surrounding air.
Does air conditioning reduce radon?
A decrease in the mean value of radon and its attached progeny was found when AC was working. The mean value of radon equilibrium factor F was also lower when AC was working (0.49) than when it was off (0.61).
Will opening the basement windows before a radon test lower the results?
Unfortunately, no, opening the windows does not reduce radon. It is not a gas that will just permanently escape the home like smoke from something burning in the oven. The radon may seem to leave when the windows are open, but as soon as they are closed, it is back.
