Radon

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has suggested some things we all can do to protect ourselves and spread awareness.

1. Test our homes: EPA and the US Surgeon general recommend all homes in the US be tested for radon. Radon Testing; It’s so Smart a Caveman Would Do It!

2. Spread the word: Tell family and friends about the health risk of radon and encourage them to learn more about radon and test their homes.

3. Buy a Radon Resistant Home: If you’re considering buying a new home, look for builders who use radon-resistant construction techniques.

Arc Environmental’s National Radon Safety Board (NRSB) certified personnel perform radon testing and design radon mitigation systems for commercial and residential buildings. We test residential and commercial buildings utilizing both short-term (2 to 4 days) and long-term (>90 days) testing techniques to determine radon concentrations.

Arc Environmental designs passive and active radon mitigation systems for new construction. It is more cost effective to install sub-slab radon mitigation during building construction than installing a retrofit radon mitigation system in a building after radon is discovered.

  • Radon is a radioactive gas that is found in single- and multi-family homes, offices, and schools across the United States.
  • Radon is a radioactive gas that is released from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water and gets into the air you breathe.
  • Radon gas typically moves up through the ground and into buildings through cracks in floors or walls, joints, gaps around pipes and other holes or cavities in the walls or foundation.  The methods of radon intrusion into indoor air is nearly identical to volatile organic compound vapor intrusion.
  • According to the EPA and the Surgeon General, radon causes an estimated 21,000 lung cancer deaths in the United States every year and is the second leading cause of lung cancer after active smoking and the leading cause among non-smokers.

  

RADON MYTHS vs FACTS

  (from Healthy Indoors, January 2014. “Protecting Yourself From Radon A Silent Killer”)
 

MYTH:

Scientists aren’t sure radon really is a problem.

FACT:

Although some scientists dispute the precise number of deaths due to radon, all the major health organizations (like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Lung Association and the American Medical Association) agree with estimates that radon causes thousands of preventable lung cancer deaths every year. This is especially true among smokers, since the risk to smokers is much greater than to non-smokers.
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MYTH:

Radon testing is difficult, time consuming and expensive.

FACT:

Radon testing is easy. You can test your home yourself or hire a qualified radon test company. Either approach takes only a small amount of time and effort.
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MYTH:

Homes with radon problems can’t be fixed.

FACT:

There are simple solutions to radon problems in homes. Hundreds of thousands of homeowners have already fixed radon problems in their homes. Most homes can be fixed for about the same cost as other common home repairs; check with one or more qualified mitigators. Call your state radon office for help in identifying qualified mitigation contractors.
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MYTH:

Radon affects only certain kinds of homes.

FACT:

House construction can affect radon levels. However, radon can be a problem in homes of all types: old homes, new homes, drafty homes, insulated homes, homes with basements, homes without basements. Local geology, construction materials, and how the home was built are among the factors that can affect radon levels in homes.
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MYTH:

Radon is only a problem in certain parts of the country.

FACT:

High radon levels have been found in every state. Radon problems do vary from area to area, but the only way to know your radon level is to test.
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MYTH:

A neighbor’s test result is a good indication of whether your home has a problem.

FACT:

It’s not. Radon levels can vary greatly from home to home. The only way to know if your home has a radon problem is to test it.