What do you do About Radon?

You may have heard that you need to watch out for Radon and the dangers of radon when you buy a new
house.  Here’s the thing. How many of us know what radon is? Besides, some vague memories from
chemistry and the word radon sounding a little too much like radioactive that makes you uncomfortable
with the idea of radon being in your house, do you know what it actually is? Is it likely to be found in
your house? If it is, is it really that big of a deal?

So, are you likely to run into a radon problem? The short answer is YES, it’s a very common problem to
have. Radon gases are naturally produced by the earth and it occurs practically everywhere.

Is radon that big of a deal then? Another short answer, YES! Here’s the rundown, radon, is indeed, a
radioactive gas. Put simply radon is the breakdown of radioactive materials in the earth releasing traces
of radioactive gases into the air in small amounts. You can’t see, taste, or smell traces of it in the air but
it can be extremely dangerous in large enough amounts. Overtime radon exposure in larger amounts can
cause lung cancer, especially in smokers.

Here’s what you do. Checking for dangerous amounts of radon is simple. You can do this yourself or hire
a professional to it for you. You can get a short-term test, which will tell you what the radon levels in your
house are like over the span of about a week. Then there are long-term tests that give you a better look at
the fluctuations of radon levels in your home over longer periods of time, up to 90 days. The level can
fluctuate. I suggest starting with a short-term test. If the results are around 3, get a long-term test to check
the levels over a longer period of time. If your radon level hits 4, you need to be taking action already.
Radon tests should be done on the lowest level of your house.

Any radon level from 2 upwards can be fixed. I would call a professional to consult on reducing the radon
levels in your home. There are some DIY things you can do to lower the radon level in your home but I don’t
suggest blindly following a tutorial. Some fixes done wrong can actually raise the radon level in your house.