Radon Poisoning Dangers in the U.S.
People may get radon poisoning through breathing radon that comes from the underground through cracks in homes.
Radon gas is a radioactive gas that cannot be seen, tasted or smelled. It occurs deep in the ground due to a natural process of breakdown of uranium and radium in soil.
How Radon Poisoning Affects Health?
Radon releases alpha particle radiation that may severely damage your DNA, leading to lung cancer.
Radon is the number one leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers in the U.S. according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Overall, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer causing over 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year.
Children and babies are at higher risk because they breathe 2-3 times faster than adults
1 in 6 homes tested in Western Canada had dangerously high levels of radon gas.
Radon Poisoning Symptoms
Unlike carbon monoxide poisoning, radon poisoning won’t have any immediate symptoms or signs. Instead, health issues caused by radon exposure might incur many years later.
If you think you may have been exposed to radon, and if you experience a nagging cough, shortness of breath, or lasting wheezing, you should test yourself for lung cancer.
Other symptoms include:
- Chest pain
- Coughing with mucus that contains blood in it
- Fatigue and weakness
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Hoarseness
- Frequent respiratory infections
If you notice any of these symptoms, get a complete checkup.
How do I test my home for radon gas?
One of the most effective and cheapest of tests is known as an “alpha track” device, which, over a 90+ day period, will register the Bq/m3 of the indoor air of your home.
It requires no electricity and is about the same size as a small hockey puck.
The device needs to be placed in the lowest level of your home that you or your family members spend several hours a day. This could be your basement, or the main level.
Do not place the radon test in kitchens, bathrooms, near open windows or other areas with fans or strong air flow.
Radon testing should only occur between November and April, as testing in spring, summer and early fall gives inaccurate readings.
After your 90+ days are complete, you just ship your device to a lab using the provided shipping label, and within 2-3 weeks you should receive your confidential reading.
Safe radon level set by EPA is 4pCi/L for the indoor air. If test results proven over this limit, you should consider mitigating the problem.