Radon gas is naturally occurring, it is odorless and colorless. It is also known to cause lung cancer by the EPA. Because of this inability to see it with a naked eye there are still some people who do not believe that it exists. There is plenty of science and research behind this. If someone tells it does not exist, they are immediately discrediting themselves from this topic.
Radon comes from the breakdown of uranium that is found in the soil and the gas rises through the soil and enters homes from the lower levels through cracks in the concrete, gaps around waste pipes, sump pumps pits, or through the soil in the crawl space. The topic of radon testing usually comes up as part of a home inspection when a home is being purchased.
In the States that license people who test for radon gas there are described locations that are accepted as proper locations to test for radon gas. In Ohio the testing location is the lowest livable space in a home for a minimum of 48 hours. Lowest livable space typically is a basement. The basement does not have to be finished to be considered livable space. The radon testing ottawa equipment in Ohio needs to be placed in the lowest livable space at least 20 inches off the floor, at least 2 feet from an exterior wall, etc.
One myth regarding testing is that if the home does not have a basement then there is no need to test. This is not correct. Higher than desired radon levels are found in homes built on a slab.
Another myth is that if the home is built on a crawl space then there is no need to test for radon. This also is not correct. If the crawl space is well ventilated to the exterior this may reduce the odds of radon entering the home, it is definitely however not a certainty.
A third myth we often hear is that if the home has a walkout basement then there is no need to test. This is based upon the belief that since there is a door to the exterior then the air entering the home will be exterior air and not soil gas entering that lower area of the home. This also is not true. Walkout basements can and do test higher than the EPA recommends.
I have had sellers tell me that they were told by friends what to do to their home to lower any potential radon levels. These methods involved opening windows typically and airing the place out. This may or may not help. Radon enters the home mainly due to a chimney effect where temperature and air pressures make it easy for soil gas to flow in to the lowest part of the home and then flow upwards through the home like smoke and heat flows through a chimney. Opening a window can increase the air flow and suck more soil gas and radon into the home.
The best radon monitors will detect movement, temperature, humidity and air pressure. If the monitor were to be moved to the exterior the monitor will record it and the test will be invalid and an other test will need to be redone, this time at the expense of who interfered with the test.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is a known cause of lung cancer. There are myths regarding testign for the gas. The gas makes its way towards homes through the soil underneath homes and eventually enters homes. The only way to know for certain what the radon levels are in a home is to test no matter the design of the home.
Radon Abatement - Users Guide
The first thing that you need to understand is that the presence of radon gas is dangerous to your health, and because there is no odor to this gas and it also is invisible and colorless, you would normally not be aware of its presence without performing a Radon test in the building. There is also no level of it that can be said to be safe, and thus even the slightest presence of radon gas can prove to be detrimental to your health.
There are a number of different methods for radon abatement and you can use simple methods such as sealing cracks or use radon exhaust fans or vent fans to help eliminate or reduce the levels of the gas in a building. If you need more advice as to the best means of affecting radon abatement in a building then you need to go through the EPA "Consumer's Guide to Radon Reduction", and this guide can be obtained from the state radon office.
The benefits of consulting a user guide for using things such as radon detectors are many and include learning how to test for this gas, and knowing the health risks associated with radon. In addition, you will learn about radon abatement, how the gas gets into a building and whether it exists in only soil, or is it also present in water etc.
Thus, it is essential to learn how effective it to perform radon mitigation is, especially as you should expect to pay about twelve hundred dollars on average to remediate and lower the levels of radon gas in a building. In addition, you would need to use Sub-slab depressurization methods to lower levels of Radon gas in the home. However, there is no regulations available pertaining to controlling radon levels inside a building and thus you need to rely only on guidelines as well as national goals.