Radon Detectors – How They Can Save Your Family!

Protecting Your Home From Radon Gas – Before I start this, there is no need to raise alarm. I only hope here to provide an informative article about some possible ways to keep you and your family protected from a carcinogenic and potentially deadly gas. Radon is free flowing in our earths crust. When the crust is disturbed, this gas simply and safely evaporates into the atmosphere with no harm done to the inhabitants of the Earth. The only problem with this, just as when you put air in a balloon, when air is put into something that keeps it from escaping into the atmosphere, it accumulates. Every year, it is estimated, over 12,000 lung cancer deaths are caused by Radon poisoning. As far as lung cancer causes go, it is second only to cigarette smoking. This is why it is important to protect yourselves. Next, I will show you how to choose where to put it, and what to do with it.

There are several types of tests that can detect radon in your home.

Alpha Track Tests have a small piece of plastic that records very small dents made in it by Alpha particles passing through it. This is much the way neutron detectors operate to detect sub-atomic particles flying through the Earth. There are other types of similar tests that record readings through-out a set amount of time and must be sent off to labs for readings (such as electret ion chambers and charcoal liquid scintillation), these are often the most accurate.

There are also tests that give continuous readings and can set off alarms at dangerous levels, much like carbon monoxide monitors. While this may be a good idea to keep handy, the safety of your family deserves the most accurate test you can give them.

The best place to keep one of these units is close to the ground, seeing as radon seeps up from the ground and is found at the most concentrated levels close to the floor. Another good idea for your radon detector is to keep it out of the rooms where there is a lot of running water: like bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms. Due to the sensitive nature of these tests, high humidity can give inaccurate readings.

So you have gone out and gotten the best test there is to offer, only to find out there are extremely high radon levels in your home! Do not worry, as there are several fixes to help you out. You need to immediately try to lower the levels, this can be as easy as opening up all doors and windows and running some sort of ventilating unit through it (this ranges from house hold fans to professional units). Once you have this done, it is extremely important to find out how it is getting in. Cracks in the foundation and other foundation problems are usually the culprit. With this problem, I would advise you to seek the help of a professional. Now we have to thing about keeping radon out if it does happen to get in. There are radon exhaust kits sold on the market, which the only thing radon specific is the name on the package. Exhaust fans installed in the attic will help more air flow through your home, and therefore more radon will escape into the atmosphere.

These are just a few ideas on how you can help protect your home and family from radon poisoning, as with our new home building techniques it is an ever-growing problem. As always with your family’s safety, if in doubt, call a professional.