When was the last time you had your home, including your basement, checked for radon levels? Radon, as you are probably aware, is an odorless and toxic natural gas known to cause lung cancer. Furthermore, the Surgeon General has reported that the second leading cause of lung cancer is due to extended radon exposure.

lWhen was the last time you had your basement sump pump checked to make sure it is working properly? If you haven’t had it checked recently, you may want to do so at your earliest convenience. When you contact a local sump pump installation company, they can provide residential radon testing services as well.

Every year, approximately 20,000 people die from lung cancer that is caused by radon exposure, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Surgeon General’s Office. Lung cancer risks increase when people are exposed over a long period of time to concentration levels of 16% per 100 Bq/m.

In the United States, it has been found that approximately one-in-five homes have radon levels that exceed the EPA’s action levels. Lung cancer deaths, according to scientists, could be significantly reduced by lowering radon levels within homes that exceed these action levels. It has been estimated that approximately 5,000 deaths could be prevented.

When you contact a radon mitigation and abatement service, depending on the situation, they may use either a short-term detector or a long-term detector.

A short-term test measures levels between two and 90 days, while a long-term test will measure the average concentration over 90 days. Depending on the results of this test, a radon testing contractor will make recommendations.

If you don’t have a sump pump, for example, and your basement tends to flood, you will want to have this local sump pump installation company install a sump pump. If you already have a sump pump in good working order, then your contractor may recommend adding a passive mitigation system or a radon ventilation fan.

Passive systems have been shown to potentially reduce indoor levels by 50%. Radon ventilation fans have the capacity to reduce these levels even further.
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