When it comes to gases that you don’t want to have in your home, radon is among those near the top of the list. It’s a radioactive gas that can have significant adverse effects on human health, so it is important to detect it in the home and implement measures to take action against it.
Although you have likely heard of radon gas before and understand that it is bad news, there is a lot that you might not know about it. At Howell Healthy Homes, we want our customers to be educated about the risks associated with radon so that they can understand the importance of radon mitigation. Here are a few things you should know about radon:
- Radon is invisible and difficult to detect. Like many other harmful gases, radon is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and virtually undetectable by the human senses. Radon testing is important because you may not be aware of its presence otherwise, and that puts your family at risk.
- It is present in higher levels when ventilation is poor. Radon levels tend to be higher in enclosed spaces that have poor ventilation. That means higher levels of radon may be found in your attic, basement, or crawlspace, which tend to be highly insulated.
- It can increase the risk of lung cancer. Radon emits alpha particles that can damage the lungs when inhaled. After smoking, radon is also the leading cause of lung cancer, so radon mitigation is extremely important for your health and safety.