Here are some facts and myths about radon. Contact us to learn more about our radon services, including radon mitigation in PA and green home improvement solutions.
MYTH:
I'm safe because I don't spend much time in my basement.
FACT:
If your furnace or duct runs are located in your basement or crawlspace, anytime the furnace fan runs for either heat or air conditioning, the radon level on the first floor is often the same as it is in the basement or crawlspace. Staying out of the basement doesn’t matter if your furnace fan is running even occasionally.
MYTH:
Radon is naturally occurring so it must be safe.
FACT:
Radon IS naturally occurring and so are earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, lightning, volcanoes, avalanches and mudslides. On average, radon kills more people every year than all of those combined. Dirt is natural too, but you don't want to be under six feet of it.
MYTH:
My home is new so I can’t have a radon problem.
FACT:
Many newer homes have higher radon levels than older ones because they now design homes to have better porosity in the soil around the house. This is done for moisture control but the result is easier flow for the radon gas to be drawn in. It doesn’t matter how old your home is, if there is the right amount of radium in the soil, you may have a serious problem.
MYTH:
My neighbors home tested fine so I must be safe.
FACT:
You can never rely on your neighbor’s radon results as a comparison to yours. Even identical homes in the same development, next door to each other, built at the same time by the same builder can be 100 times higher or lower than your house. There can even be a huge difference in just one side of a duplex or attached town-home. That is why every residence in America needs to be tested.
MYTH:
My home is a ________________ (walk-out, ranch, 2 story, split level, slab on grade, etc.) so I won’t have a problem.
FACT:
The style of the home has very little to do with radon entry. All structures have negative pressures in the lower half of the building no matter how they are built or how they are designed. No particular style of home is more or less likely to have a radon problem including homes of all types: old homes, new homes, drafty homes, insulated homes, homes with basements, and homes without basements.The only way to know you have a problem, is to test.
MYTH:
I’ve lived in my home for so long, it doesn’t make sense to take action now.
FACT:
If you discovered that your family car had been recalled because the wheels could fall off at anytime, would you keep driving it? Of course not. You will reduce your risk of cancer as soon as you reduce your radon levels, even if you’ve lived with a radon problem for a long time. Reducing your radon levels now can help to greatly reduce the effects from past exposure.
MYTH:
If it’s not one thing, it’s another.
FACT:
True, we’re all going to die from something, but most people would prefer old age rather than cancer. Some people die while doing something they enjoy like skydiving, swimming, grilling hamburgers, etc. They weigh the risks and decide that the risks are worth the enjoyment, but nobody gets enjoyment from radon. It’s a huge risk with no benefit.
Northern Environmental
570-729-8199
nenvironmental@gmail.com
570-729-8199
Copyright 2011: Northern Environmental. Radon Services. All rights reserved.
570-729-8199 | nenvironmental@gmail.com
