The presence of radon in one’s home is actually far more common than many people realize. After all, it is hard to know that radon is present if radon testing is not conducted on a regular basis, as the substance is as odorless as it is sightless. However, it is estimated that as many as one fifteenth of all homes in this country have some level of radon in them, a level that meets or even exceeds the level of safety as has been set by the EPA, often hitting this action level and beginning to cause harm.
Unfortunately, there are some parts of the country that are even more prone to radon exposure. For instance, it is not uncommon to find radon in the homes found on Native American reservations. In such homes, it is actually likely that up to one full third of them have radon levels high enough to hit the action level. Of course, this is something that will take a toll quite considerably as time passes on, especially if the presence of this radon is not even known in the first place.
But what exactly are the negative health effects of radon? They are more varied than many people actually actively realize. Primarily, however, radon causes lung cancer. Unfortunately, radon is the second leading cause behind lung cancer deaths, second to smoking alone. With each and every 100 Bq per m increase of radon over the course of time, the risk of contracting lung cancer directly from radon exposure will actually increase by as much as a full 16%, which is certainly no small amount by any means or standards.
The death toll that radon can take in this manner is also quite incredibly higher, higher than most will realize. As a matter of fact, it has even been estimated by the Surgeon General itself that there will be at least 20,000 deaths in relation to radon induced lung cancer – and that’s just here in the United States, let alone anywhere else in the world as we know it. If nothing is done, more and more people are likely to be put at risk from such exposure, including children and populations who are likely to be particularly susceptible to such things.
Fortunately, radon testing is becoming more and more accessible, with radon testing and inspection services able to be found in many places all throughout the country. In fact, residential radon testing services are likely even present in your very own neighborhood, though you might not be aware of these residential radon testing services if you have not had a reason to take advantage of them before.
If you’re worried about the potential presence of radon in your home, perhaps after a sump pump installation or sump pump excavation has taken place, consider hiring residential radon testing services. These testing services can use a short term radon detector in your home, one that will actually be effective for up to 90 days, very nearly an entire three months span of time. If you’re in need of longer radon detection services, most residential radon testing services from residential radon testing companies will be able to provide some type of longer term test as well, one that is designed to last past these 90 days, perhaps even indefinitely (though this will certainly vary quite considerably from situation to situation, of course).
Knowing about the presence of radon in your home can certainly be a frightening thing, and it is nothing that anyone wants to have to deal with, if not strictly necessary. However, knowing about the presence of radon through the use of residential radon testing services can be integral to saving your life, as dramatic as this might sound. After all, radon is nothing to be messed with and the sooner you know about it, thanks to residential radon testing services, the sooner and more fully you will be able to deal with it. Therefore, residential radon testing services are more than worth investing in at the end of the day.