Radon – Nature’s Invisible Threat
Everyone knows nature can harm us in a multitude of ways. Lightning, tornados, hurricanes, snake bites, extreme heat or cold all, under the right (or wrong) circumstances can prove deadly. There is one natural killer that is never mentioned, however, and it is the most prolific of all. That killer is radon gas.
Where does it come from and what can we do about it?
Just as the ground is made up of iron and potassium and sulfur and other elements, it’s also made up of uranium and radium, which occur naturally in the earth. As these radioactive materials decay, they produce a radioactive gas, Radon 222, which rises through the soil and then dissipates in the air. It’s perfectly natural stuff-you’ll find it in the middle of Yellowstone National Park. In fact, the national outdoor ambient level of radon is almost half of picocurie (a unit of measure for radioactivity). When a structure is built on the ground, however, this gas now rises or is drawn through the soil and gravel in crawlspaces or the pores in concrete slabs and gets into the indoor air we breathe, and because it a radioactive gas it can cause cellular damage to your lungs. It is classified as a Class A Carcinogen, those things at the top of the risk list and defined as:
“ The group used only when there is sufficient evidence from epidemiologic studies to support a causal association between exposure to the agents and cancer.”
In other words, hard scientific data.
Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Almost all of us know of people who died of lung cancer who never smoked a day in their lives. Estimates of between 15 and 21,000 people a year die from lung cancer specifically related to radon as opposed to other sources. (This can be determined from the nature and the location of the tumors.) In Northern Virginia, ranked in the high-risk category for elevated radon levels by the EPA, approximately 30% of all houses tested will come in with levels of radon elevated enough to call for mitigation.
Fortunately, the same way a violent criminal can be kept out of your home with $50 deadbolts, radon can be typically be eliminated from your home with a simple system consisting of two tubes and a fan. One tube goes into the ground or the gravel under your concrete floor, exits the house and has a fan installed and then another tube carries the radon from the fan up and over the roof. The entire system typically costs between 800 and $1200 and takes less than half a day to install.
DIY radon tests can be purchased at almost any home center for less than $40. (In some parts of the country these are actually provided free, just like smoke detectors can be.) Impartial third party professional tests are more advantageous if, for example, you plan on selling your home because of the sophistication of the measurement and analytical instruments and because the report comes from a disinterested party, not the owner.Google Radon and you’ll find articles that will make you gasp. Read our FAQs about Radon and you’ll see that it is a very manageable risk, for minimal expense, that can have an enormous impact on the welfare of your family.