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If your home does have elevated levels of radon, you can install a radon reduction system. These systems should be installed by a certified radon mitigator. Radon reduction systems are low-cost solutions that work. Some radon reduction systems can reduce radon levels in your home by up to 99%.
How do you fix high radon levels?
In some cases, radon levels can be lowered by ventilating the crawlspace passively, or actively, with the use of a fan. Crawlspace ventilation may lower indoor radon levels both by reducing the home’s suction on the soil and by diluting the radon beneath the home.
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.
How do you reduce radon in your home?
More Ways to Take Action Stop smoking and discourage smoking in your home. Increase air flow in your house by opening windows and using fans and vents to circulate air. Seal cracks in floors and walls with plaster, caulk, or other materials designed for this purpose.
Does a dehumidifier help with radon?
No, buying a dehumidifier will not make radon go away. Radon must be removed by a remediation method like active soil depressurization (ASD), which ironically has been shown to be even more effective at removing humidity from a home than a dehumidifier in the same EPA study.
What is a safe level of radon?
What is a safe level of radon? Any radon level poses some health risk and it is not possible to reduce radon to zero. The best approach is to lower the radon level as much as possible. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set the action level at 4 pCi/L (picocuries of radon per liter of air).
What time of year is radon highest?
The reason that radon levels in the home can be higher in the summer and winter is two-fold. During the winter, the air in your home tends to be much warmer than the outside air, and this temperature difference creates a vacuum within your home.
What causes high radon levels?
When radon is confined to enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces, it can accumulate to high levels. Radon levels are generally highest in basements and crawl spaces because these areas are nearest to the source and are usually poorly ventilated.
How long does it take for radon 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.
Will running a fan reduce radon?
In some cases, radon levels can be lowered by ventilating the crawlspace passively, or actively, with the use of a fan. Crawlspace ventilation may lower indoor radon levels both by reducing the home’s suction on the soil and by diluting the radon beneath the home.
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).
Can plants help with radon?
Common houseplants like spider plants, palms, ferns and ivies are quite efficient at cleansing the air and making home air healthier. But the few sources I did locate indicated that indoor plants have little or no effect on radon gas.
Can ceiling fans reduce radon?
Ceiling fans can reduce radon levels by 50%. If used along with positive ion generators, ceiling fans are capable of reducing radon levels by 90%. This is achieved by a phenomenon called plate-out, which neutralizes radio-active particles.
Does painting basement reduce radon?
Finished or Painted Basements Painted Walls – Sealing only the floor with RadonSeal can help. Much more radon tends to penetrate through the slab than through the walls, because radon gas is trapped underneath between the footings.
Is radon level 2.1 safe?
Radon is found in outdoor air and in the indoor air of buildings of all kinds. Because there is no known safe level of exposure to radon, EPA also recommends that Americans consider fixing their home for radon levels between 2 pCi/L and 4 pCi/L.
Why do radon levels fluctuate?
Radon gas is a naturally-occurring radioactive gas found in the soil. Some weather events, like storms, typically cause radon levels in a home to rise. Other events, like heavy winds, can cause radon levels to either rise or fall. Essentially, weather events can cause your radon levels levels to either rise or fall.
Where should I put my radon detector?
Place a radon detector in the breathing zone, 2-6 feet above the floor, and away from drafts, exterior walls, sumps, drains, windows or doors.
Are radon detectors accurate?
The National Radon Safety Board evaluates radon measurement devices in cooperation with the US Environmental Protection Agency. It requires that the individual relative error of each device be less than or equal to 20.0% and that the precision error of all devices be less than or equal to 20.0%.
Can radon cause dementia?
But more recent research, performed at the University of North Dakota, indicates that radon may be a significant cause of two diseases of the brain: Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The radon gas emitted from soil and rock is not a hazard in the open air.
