Does radon reside in your home? Radon is an invisible, tasteless, and odor-free substance that comes from the breakdown of radium and uranium underground. Radon testing is the only way to know if it’s in your house. If radon lingers and accumulates in your home, you may breathe it in, increasing your likelihood of developing lung cancer or other respiratory conditions.
If a radon test reveals high levels in your home, you must make radon mitigation efforts to remove the gas and disperse it outdoors. How many ways can radon enter your home? Read on and learn more about how radon enters structures and what you can do to get rid of it.
Basement Floor and Wall Cracks
Most basements have a concrete slab floor and foundation made from construction blocks. As solid as they might seem, cracks may develop over time due to age, damage, and moisture. Radon doesn’t need much space to rise from the ground. The smallest crack might as well be a wide-open door! Look for and stay on top of cracks, holes, and other openings in the lowest part of your home, and seal them with a silicon-based caulk.
Construction Joints
Construction joints are spaces where the walls meet the floor or where the builders pour concrete slabs. If they’re not sealed or are allowed to settle and crack, radon can sneak inside. Construction crews should seal joints and inspect them periodically to make sure they don’t crack. They may also call in a professional to inspect, treat, and reseal the joints if necessary.
Suspended Floors
Some homes have suspended floors with crawl spaces and similar areas between the ground and the flooring. Suspended floors may have unseen gaps where radon can rise from the earth and enter the home. Luckily, you can hire radon mitigation professionals to seal and ventilate your crawlspace in order to prevent radon from entering your home.
Service Pipe Gaps
Pipes that bring in water, gas, electrical lines, and other utilities may also bring in radon gas. The problem area is likely the gaps between the house and the pipes. Pipes entering through walls and other parts of the home are sealed so water and vermin can’t enter. However, they should also be sealed to keep out radon.
Water Supply
Not all radon enters homes in a gaseous form. If your water supply comes from groundwater, there’s a chance it contains radon. The element slowly dissolves in groundwater, then it enters the home, where you may consume it or disperse it through boiling or evaporation. This is an uncommon means of infiltration, but it is still possible. Fortunately, some water treatment systems can remove radon from water.
What’s Next?
Now that you know how many ways radon can enter your home, you don’t need to live in fear of it. Have your home tested! If the test reveals high radon levels, ask radon professionals about the different types of radon mitigation systems to keep yourself and your family healthy.
On naming, neglect, and the quiet work that keeps things standing
About twenty years ago, there was Harbor Police activity near the water, just south of the subway entrance. At the time, no one really thought of it as a pier, though technically there was a small boardwalk there. Of course it wasn’t a pier. A pier implies intention.
