<<Back

Radon in Your Home

V Moving picture showing where you should test or look for Radon V

Radon is a problem in many homes in America.  As I said before, it is a National Health Issue and effects eight million homes (one in five).  It is a major health threat to homes built over granite.  But, do not forget that it doesn't affect only homes. It also affects many buildings or your place of work.  Schools are also at risk.  But it is usually most dangerous at home because that is where you spend most of your time.  Don't be positivley sure that you don't have increased levels of radon in your home (building/ school), unless of course you take a test.  Radon is usually more concentrated in underground, enclosed spaces.  It comes from the soil that surrounds

the lowest levels of your home (building, school).       Some examples of places to look for radon are basements, storm cellars, or the lowest levels of your house (building, school).  One thing that you must remember is that if radon and it's dangerous fumes enter the basement (or storm cellar), then it will easily spread upstairs and to the rest of the house (building, school).       James R. Brooks states that some places display predictable radon problems: 1. Homes in areas where there is a lot of uranium in the soil. 2. Homes with raduim contamination. 3. Homes with uranium bearing veins or granite. 4. Homes with high radon concentrations in the water supply. 5. Homes built with or over land with radioctive materials. If the radon was to enter your house through the surrounding soil, however, there must be high levels of radon in the soil, the

^A house that may have high levels of Radon.  It doesn't matter what the house looks like or who lives in it, and it can be prevented easily.^

soil must be permeable, and there must be a way for the radon to enter the home.  If basement walls are porous (have many holes), have cracks in the floor, or openings around accesses to the outdoors.