Myth: New Houses Don't Have Radon Gas
It’s that time of year again, homes are popping up onto the market and being bought up at an alarming rate. With the housing market receiving a healthy boost this year, people are making their moves while the time is right.
While looking for a new home, it can be easy to assume that radon is an issue only older homes could face, but this would be false. The truth is, radon is around us all the time, and knowing your home’s radon levels, old or new, is crucial to you and your home’s health.
What Is Radon?
As stated by the CDC, radon is a hazardous naturally forming gas that is both odorless and colorless. It is created when radioactive metals begin to decompose within the earth's crust. As the gas rises through the soil, rock and groundwater, it sometimes hits a barrier, such as a house, but can find an open path through cracks and holes in foundations. This means that any home, no matter the age, could be susceptible to hazardous radon levels. It may be more common for an older aging home to have more cracks and dents due to its nature. However, this doesn’t exclude the fact the newly built homes could have easy ways of radon entry as well.
As many of us know, having high radon levels in our homes can have a damaging effect on our health. The Surgeon General's Office and the US Environmental Protection Agency estimate that radon gas exposure can account for up to 20,000 Lung Cancer deaths in the United States each year. With this in mind, every household should test for radon.
Radon in the Home & Radon Mitigation Systems
Just because you can’t distinctly see or smell radon doesn’t mean that it isn’t there. Newer homes very well could have small gaps and cracks around the foundation, basement, and crawl space areas that you aren’t seeing. Before even submitting an offer on your potential new home, an expert radon contractor should give an official reading of the home’s radon levels.
Through research, we know that despite varying levels of radon gas in different areas of the country, the Surgeon General's Office and EPA standard guidelines state that there is no safe level of radon exposure. All homes should be tested whether they are old or new. It’s just as important to actively know your home’s radon levels to ensure your home is healthy. There are plenty of testing kits and effective radon mitigation systems on the market.
If reports do come back showing high radon levels, it is crucial to act fast in order to terminate the issue. Radon mitigation systems are affordable and can be installed in less than one day. Radon mitigation systems utilize PVC pipes and extraction fans to pull the harmful radon gases out from under the house before it can enter. They are remarkably effective and efficient to operate as well. Of course, hiring a professional radon mitigation contractor is essential to the effectiveness of solving this issue.
Finding a Radon Contractor
As with any home improvement project, it’s incredibly important to find a qualified, knowledgeable company to do the job. With radon, whether your home is old or new, this test is especially important in protecting you and your loved ones from unseen danger.
Here at National Radon Defense, we have an extensive network of highly trained and certified radon measurement and mitigation professionals available to help you test and fix your home if those levels happen to be elevated. Remember, there is radon around us all the time, and no home is exempt from the naturally occurring gas--so find your local radon expert today.
