Radon Testing: Is Your Family At Risk?
Posted on: 10 July 2023
If a physician diagnosed one of your family members with lung cancer or problems, and the individual didn't smoke or use tobacco products, test your home for radon now. Toxic gases like radon can cause lung problems in humans. Learn more about the negative effects radon has on people and how to test your house for radon below.
How Does Radon Affect Your Lungs?
Radon isn't something you can see, smell, or touch. The naturally-occurring radioactive gas resides in the water, soil, and air around you. If radon remains outside your home, it won't cause you any health issues. However, radon that enters your home can cause cancer and other problems that affect your lungs.
Radon enters your bloodstream through your lungs. Once inside your lungs, radon slowly or gradually changes the cells in them. People exposed to radon may feel tired and weak over time. If cancer does develop in the lungs, it can become deadly without proper treatments.
If you suspect your loved one inhaled radon, test your home for the toxic gas today. If you don't test your house for radon, you may place everyone who lives in it at risk for lung problems in the future.
How Do You Test Your House for Radon?
First, contact a radon testing or mitigation contractor and schedule an appointment with them. A contractor will ask you to choose a time that allows them to complete the test without interruption. A tester will also need access to the soil content in your crawl space. Soil can contain high levels of radon over time.
A contractor may also need to test the dust in your home for radon. Radon can stick to the dust particles in your home and use it to travel from room to room over time. If possible, allow a contractor access to your air ducts and attic. Dust containing radon may reside in these areas or locations as well.
If your house and crawl space test positive for radon, a contractor will determine how much radon resides in them. Testers use a unit of measurement called picocuries per liter to measure radon. Picocuries per liter, or pCi/L, over 1.3 could be dangerous or hazardous for your health. If the radon in your house or crawl space is over 1.3 pCi/L, mitigate your property immediately. Mitigate is the process contractors use to isolate or remove radon from a home.
Learn more about the harmful effects of radon on your family by contacting a radon testing service today.
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