Radon mitigation is any process that involves reducing radon gas in the breathing zones. It is necessary for one to be aware of radon gas because it is harmful to the body and causes cancer. It is mostly found in buildings, homes, and water supplies. Mitigation is the best way in which one can reduce the gas from their respective homes. Through mitigation, you will be free from radon gas, and your health will be secured. This article gives details about everything you need to know about the whole radon mitigation process and how it works.
What is Radon?
Radon is an odorless, colorless radioactive gas that is produced by decaying uranium. The natural occurrence occurs during the breakdown of uranium. It is found in soils, water, and rocks. However, radon is rarely found in the air we breathe. In addition, it is hard to distinguish the smell of radon or even see it. The fastest way to know existence is through testing.
Radon gets into homes through cracks in the foundation, openings around water pipes, drains, and even on walls. In a home, radon will most likely be found in the basement or the lower levels of the house. Radon risk increases during winter because windows are usually closed. The risk involved during that season is high. It is important to open your windows to let in fresh air and reduce the radon levels.
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, only after smoking. It will kill with time as it develops in your lungs. Most people start experiencing symptoms like difficulty breathing and those who are scanned come out to be diagnosed with cancer – that is when they know how urgent it is to test their homes for this toxic agent. Luckily, there are ways you can reduce risk by testing for levels of the gas before living or building a home. If the levels are too high, steps should be taken immediately such as sealing vents from basement floors where crusts may form on pipes because these areas have been known to store large amounts of unsafe concentrations.
How to Test For Radon
Through testing, you will be able to know the level of radon gas in your home. You can hire a professional company to come to do the testing. Another method is to use radon kits. You can use the kit and then mail it to a lab and wait for the results.
Radon tests can be done as short term tests, long term tests, or the continuous test. For the short-term test, it is done to see if further testing will be necessary. The test is done to measure radon levels between two days and seven days. For the long-term testing, the radon measures levels for 90 days to a year. It is considered the most accurate testing as radon levels may vary from day to day. Lastly, the continuous test uses electrical monitor digital meters. You plug the monitor on the outlet of your house, and then you can test for radon every day. It serves both long-term and short-term testing.
How Radon Mitigation Works
As said before, mitigation is the process of reducing radon levels. The process involves ventilating your home using PVC piping to suck the radon gas out of your house and from the soil. The system also helps prevent radon from getting into your home. In addition, there are different types of the mitigation processes. They vary depending on the construction of the house, foundation, and other factors. A homes type of foundation will help know which mitigation system is best to use.
Different radon systems are often used for mitigation. These come in three basic types: sub-slab suction, drain tile suction and a sub-membrane system. The first two involve removing the gas from under your home by drawing it out through pipes around the foundation or into tubes where they can be safely vented outdoors; while a membrane is designed to work inside an unfinished space such as crawlspace with no access to outside air at all. A pipe is then used to penetrate through the plastic sheeting, which pulls the soil and gas from the crawled space and vents it out.
Radon gas is a very dangerous substance that can lead to lung cancer if inhaled. The best way to handle the problem of radon in your home is by installing a mitigation system and getting tested for further installation. The goal of this article was to not only teach people about how serious the effects are when they get exposed but also give them tips on what steps to take so their life is not affected by radon.
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