How Radon could affect you and what you can do about it

One of the widest spread, very real but low grade dangers of housing in the United States is the build up of Radon in the basements, wall cavities and other low lying or enclosed spaces of all buildings built on areas where there is granite. A very large portion of the United States is granitic so that in fact as many as 7.5% of buildings and homes in the US could be affected.

Radon Awareness Week, From 20 October to 26 October, is a campaign to highlight the dangers of Radon build up in the building you occupy and show you how a few, relatively simple, steps can rid you of any dangers and long term health issues that may result from long term exposure to Radon.

What is Radon? Where does it come from? How does it affect me and what can I do about it? Are all questions that I can hear you ask yourself and these are all going to be addressed during Radon Awareness week.

Simply put Radon is a rapidly dissipating radioactive gas that escaped from the slow decay of Uranium and Thorium. These elements are found in the old granitic area of the US. It is a heavy gas which means it accumulates in low lying areas. What makes it worse is that it is colorless and odorless which means that there is no way for a person to detect its presence. Fortunately it has a very short half life of less than 4 days so doesn't become overwhelming, Nevertheless where there is Radon it will stay and more will continually replace itself. It seeps through the ground and cracks in walls and vents and seeks the lowest lying and unventilated areas of a building.

Radon is radioactive, even if at a very low level. The thing with radioactive exposure is that it doesn't of itself disappear but rather accumulates. This means that constant exposure build up and causes long term health dangers. There is a positive correlation between exposure to radon over an extended period and the incidence of lung cancer. So the dangers are real.

The good thing about this is that any dangers from Radon build up can be easily removed. A few simple steps will remove radon from the low lying spaces of a building forever. The first thing to do is find out if the buildings you occupy, whether they be houses, apartments or condos as well as the places of work, such as offices, factories or school buildings are experiencing radon build up. Click on the Radon Awareness Week link and you can read all about it but essentially you need to order a radon testing kit which you stand in the basement or the lowest enclosed space of the building for a few days and then send off to a laboratory for analysis.

If The results of the tests indicate that there is Radon build up then the SWAT Environmental Team will come and install ventilators and small fans to dissipate the problems forever.

Click on the Radon Awareness Week link to see how Radon could endanger the health of you and your family and how to remove it.