Radon Testing
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that virtually everywhere.
We breathe air containing radon everyday. In such low levels, radon is harmless.
When people are subject to breathing high levels of radon, they are at a higher risk of lung cancer.
The radioactive decay process of radon creates radon decay products. When radon decays it breaks down into its smaller components. The most stable of these decay products is radon-222 which remains radioactive for 3.8 days, which is referred to as it's half life.
Radon is released through the soil and often accumulates under houses due to the proximity to the earth and enclosed spaces that do not receive much airflow. The air moves these rdp (radon decay products) around causing the majority of them to attach to surfaces. In houses that means they attach to walls, ceilings, furniture, etc. This is called plating out. Furnaces and air conditioning systems can cause the rdp to plate out in the filters of the heater or a/c.
Heating and cooling systems can also bring more air into the house, which will contain more radon. Any change in air pressure within a house is a displacement of the gases that make up what we generically refer to as 'air'.
Thermodynamics dictate that hot air moves up, and cool air rushes in to replace it. A house is ideally a closed system, meaning the air movement is controlled. However, any crack between the house and the outside allows air movement. That includes cracks around windows, basement cracks, space around plumbing, etc. As the air moves up in a house, the lower portion of the house acts as a vacuum to suck in cool air to replace escaping hot air. Hot air is less dense than cool air, and rises. This is called the stack effect.
The air under your house contains radon, and that radon will be drawn in along with the other cooler gases. Radon accumulation will generally plate out, or adhere to surfaces, before it can move higher than the first floor. If the amount of radon is more than 4 pCi/L, the EPA recommends radon mitigation. Radon mitigation professionals can offer solutions specific to your needs. The term pCi/L is the measurement of the speed of decay in radon. It stands for picoCuries per liter of air.
This is why we test the lowest habitable level of the home. That lowest floor of the house is the most likely to have free floating radon-222 which is then breathable and dangerous to your health. A particle of radon-222 finds its way into a healthy lung and then is trapped by the natural filtration of your lungs.
It continues it's radioactive decay for the remainder of it's 3.8 day half life. This decay process is what constitutes the danger to healthy cells. Radiation can effect the normal healthy cell regeneration of our organs.
Premier Home Inspections offers Radon testing to help determine the safety of your future home's radon levels.
Schedule a Radon test with us today!
