It’s invisible, odorless, and naturally-occurring. It’s also an extremely potent long-term threat to people and entire families alike, and many live with it without even realizing it.
Enter radon gas. Radon is a radioactive gas, the product of decaying uranium and radium. Uranium and radium both occur naturally in most places around the world, and even in areas where these minerals are not particularly concentrated, digging a mere six feet off the surface of an acre of land will reveal 50 pounds of uranium. In fact, as per World Nuclear, it’s about as common as tin or zinc.
How Does It Get Inside a Home?
Radon, a by-product of said uranium, is naturally-occurring, especially in homes because it travels through the cracks and airways in the soil underneath a home, into its ventilation system. If you have as little as 4 pCI/liter of air, then as per the EPA, you are at risk of being poisoned by prolonged exposure to radon gas. The risk isn’t particularly high–2 in 1000 non-smokers on average would get lung cancer as a result of radon–but that’s not a risk anyone should be willing to take.
In What Way Is Radon Dangerous?
In and of itself, radon gas does nothing. However, being radioactive, one of radon’s more unfortunate qualities is that it decays. And when it does, it turns into polonium and lead–two things you never ever want in your lungs.
The basis for radon’s danger is that you inhale it in its inert form, and once it turns into a heavy metal, your body absorbs it, and it interferes with your organs.
Getting radon out of your home is important if you happen to live in an area with high risk of radon poisoning. Radon gas testing services like SWAT Environmental can help you identify whether or not you are in any danger, or whether you can rest easy.
