Got Radon?

One of the first steps of going Toxic Free in your home is making sure you are Radon Free. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas, derived from uranium. It is found in soil, water and rocks. Odorless, tasteless and colorless, radon gas decays over time into radioactive particles, which can be inhaled and trapped in the lungs. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Children may be more sensitive to radon because they breathe faster than adults and due to their rapidly dividing cells. Not proven that children are more at risk than adults, but it is still a toxic gas that we should avoid! Radon is responsible for over 21,000 deaths due to lung cancer each year.

Unfortunately avoiding radon is not altogether possible. There is a certain level of radon that is naturally omitted into the air that is beyond our control. The scary part is that once you step foot into your home you maybe in even more danger! Nearly 8 million US homes, or 1 out of every 15, have radon levels above the EPA’s 4 pCi/L “action” limit and nearly 1 out of 6 exceed the EPA’s 2 pCi/L “consider action” limit. Radon levels are generally highest in basements, where the gas seeps in from soil through cracks or pores in a home’s foundation, floor drains, sump pumps, joints and hollow-block walls. Levels can fluctuate depending on many factors such as concentration of the soil or air flow, also by season because of our tendency to keep our homes closed up during cooler months. The levels in your home may be shocking and deadly!

http://www.radonseal.com/radon-level.htm

Information for this blog was gathered from the following links – http://www.epa.gov/radon/ind , http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html#myths , http://www.radon.com/