There are several reasons why people get lung cancer. When people talk about getting lung cancer, people think that smoking must be the reason why. Now, this may be true to a lot of people, but not a lot know about radon and how dangerous it is. If you mention radon to people, you’ll probably get a blank stare or a question. What is radon? And does it have anything to do with me?
Radon: What, Where, Why?
Radon is an odorless, colorless, and dangerous gas that is more commonly found in homes than many people may think. This is naturally produced by a radioactive element that decayed. This is usually formed from Uranium, which is commonly found in rocks and soil. When rocks and soil that contains uranium breaks down, it will form radon gas where it can travel to other places freely through air and water. Radon is usually found at the lower levels of your outdoors or a higher level in your homes or buildings. It is usually concentrated in basements or crawl spaces. This is because these parts of the house are commonly located near the rocks or soils that are the main source of radon. As a result, those people that usually spend most of their time in the basement-level rooms are the most highly exposed ones to this dangerous gas. Radon is dangerous because it can break down into radon progeny which are radioactive elements. These can attach to small particles in the air and can be breathed into your lungs and embed itself into the linings. They can release radiation that can cause damage to your lung tissues and can cause lung cancer in the future.
How to Protect Your Home
Radon is the second leading source of getting lung cancer. Knowing that this gas can endanger your family without knowing it, it is important to take action and start doing preventive and precautionary measures to implement in your homes to make sure that your family is safe from radon.
For you to know which battles you are fighting, it is important to test your home for radon. Purchase a radon test kit and check your home or office. Send the kit to the appropriate people to know and check your radon levels. If it is truly high, find ways to reduce the radon by hiring a certified professional radon mitigation Cedar Rapids contractor to get rid of it.
If the radon reduction techniques work in your home, there are preventive measures you can do to avoid or lessen the risk of your family inhaling this radioactive gas. One is to stop smoking and avoid smoking in your house since it will hugely affect the risk of getting lung cancer from radon. Make sure to increase the airflow by opening the windows and using fans and vents to make sure the air circulates. It is also recommended to seal all the cracks found in your house. Radon is gas and it can enter freely, meaning that radon can get into your houses through cracks in solid floors, construction joints, wall cracks, suspended floor gaps and pipes, cavities inside the walls, and the water supply as well. It is best to check your radon levels whenever you do preventive measures to make sure that the things you have done fixed your radon issue.
