Radon is a tasteless odorless and invisible gas that is in your home. No amount of radon is safe but the government of Canada has set guidelines. Have you tested for it?
Radon is the leading environmental cause of lung cancer, the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer in smokers. It lives in the soil around and below your home. It comes up through your foundation your sumps, floor drains, from well water and many other places. Here are some facts:
- It is a gas at room temperature
- It’s atomic number is 86
- It’s atomic symbol is Rn
- Radon is a naturally occuring, radioactive gas
- It is created from the decay of uranium in minerals present in rock, soil and water.
- Approx 3200 Canadians die from Radon induced Lung Cancer yearly
Testing is relatively simple, a trained tech can use a digital meter to measure levels present in the home. A 90 day test can also be bought online or at your local hardware store and mailed to a lab to confirm levels in the home. If the levels in the home are above 200 Bq/m3 the Canadian government recommends taking steps to mitigate, this is done by a having a professional install a Radon mitigation system. Some systems include:
- Sump pit cover adaptors
- Sub slab depressurisation where a hole is cored
- Sump pit dug
- Weeping tile and sump installed
- All methods will have a vent pipe and a pump to vent the air out of the home. Radon is normally only a danger in closed environments
To find a specialist and for more information visit https://c-nrpp.ca/radonreduction/ .
Radon can be an intimidating and scary discovery in a home, just remember that mitigation is normally a simple one day process. Protect yourself and your family and setup a test today. If you want a professional then give me a call or visit https://eh2z.com to book easily online.