Radon: The silent killer in your home
Radon is naturally occurring, but is harmful in many ways to your health
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Radon is naturally occurring but has been linked to lung cancer.
It’s odorless, colorless, and tasteless, and is known as a silent killer. It’s not carbon monoxide, it’s radon. Yes, one of the noble gases from the periodic table you studied in high school chemistry class.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas. It forms from the breaking down of uranium in rocks and soil over long periods of time. It is prevalent in Tennessee and Kentucky as well as most other states across the United States.
Because it forms in the ground, and we build the foundation of our homes and business into the ground, we’re therefore exposed to radon as it seeps into our dwelling spaces.
Your home can act almost as a vacuum to suck up radon through cracks in the foundation due to your home having a lower pressure than the ground beneath it.
The EPA recommends homes be fixed if the Radon level is 4 pCi/L or more. Many counties in Middle Tennessee have higher than average levels of radon. To see that interactive map, click here.
No one property is alike, so some properties may have higher radon levels than others. A lot of it has to do with what kind of rock and soil your property was built on.
Bedrock and certain rock forms underground such as limestone, dolostone, and certain shales have higher radon concentrations. If your property is built on top of these rocks, your exposure to radon is likely higher.
The EPA recommends you have your home and/or business tested every two years for radon. There are certain mitigation measures that can be taken to lower the concentration of radon and prevent exposure.
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, second only to cigarette smoking, causing over 20,000 deaths a year according to the EPA. Radon is also the number one environmental cause of cancer deaths.
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