Radon: What You Need To Know


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Most people are familiar with the fact that smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, but do you know what the second leading cause of lung cancer is? Most people don’t, but it is important to familiarize yourself with it, especially since it could be in your home.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and World Health Organization (WHO) report that radon is the second top cause lung cancer. If you aren’t sure what radon is, where it comes from, and how it enters your home, keep reading to learn more about this dangerous element that could be affecting you more than you realize.

A radioactive gas, radon is produced during the breakdown of radium, which is a radioactive metallic element. You are unable to detect it with any of your senses; instead, it can only be detected high-tech instruments and through tests ran in a sophisticated laboratory. The gas is able to enter your home through cracks and pores in your concrete, such as the foundation, or through floorboards of crawlspaces that are poorly ventilated, especially when the wet ground permits the gas to easily escape from the soil and disperse into the atmosphere.

Radon is such a threat to one’s health because it can collect in homes, often in high concentrations. A natural radioactive gas that causes cancer, radon cannot be seen, smelt, or tasted. Therefore, if it is present in your home, it poses a serious danger to you and your family’s health. Amongst non-smokers, it is the leading cause of lung cancer.

The National Academy of Sciences estimates that radon causes somewhere between 15,000 and 22,000 lung cancer-related deaths each year. The EPA and United States Surgeon General both recommend that all homes be tested for the presence of radon. If a home is found to have a high level of radon, it is important to note that it can be fixed. 

Has your home been tested for radon? Contact us at Southern Valley Services to schedule an inspection.

Is your home a health issue?

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