You do all you can to keep your family safe. However, while you make sure to set your security alarm at night, lock your windows, and protect your family against outside intruders, you may be missing a danger that is already in your home. Read more to learn about the danger of radon gas, which could be harming your family without your knowledge.
Why is the Danger of Radon a Concern?
Radon is a gas that is impossible to detect by sight, taste, or smell. This is the real danger of radon; it can be in your home or in any building with no one knowing of its presence. Radon is naturally produced when uranium decays underground. It can enter through the foundation of a building and then become trapped inside.
How Does Radon Get into Homes?
Some of the places where radon can penetrate your home are:
- cracks in the floor
- openings around drains or pipes
- joints in the walls
- unfinished basement floors
- crawl spaces under the house
Radon is found across the United States and can exist in high levels in any type of building.
The Danger of Radon is that Exposure Causes Cancer
Radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. after smoking cigarettes. The danger of radon lies in the fact that the gas particles are radioactive and get trapped in your lungs.
As these radon particles break down, they damage your lung tissue, which can eventually cause cancer. Being exposed to high levels of radon for long periods of time increases your risk of developing lung cancer. Even drinking water contaminated with radon causes adverse health effects.
How to Test for Radon
The best way to check for the danger of radon in your home is to hire a professional. Qualified and certified radon professionals will test your home and provide results you can trust. For the safety of your family, hire only trained professionals for testing and any necessary mitigation should your home come back positive for high levels of radon.
Apollo Home Inspection provides home inspection services and radon testing to southern Utah. Contact us to schedule our services.