Radon Gas

What is Radon Gas?

Radon is an invisible cancer-causing radioactive gas. You cannot see, smell or taste radon, but it may be a problem in your home. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, you're at even higher risk for developing lung cancer. Some scientific studies of radon exposure indicate that children may be more sensitive to radon. This may be due to their higher respiration rate and their rapidly dividing cells, which may be more vulnerable to radiation damage.

How Does Radon Enter My Home?

Radon gas can enter a home from the soil under the house through cracks in the concrete slab, floors, or walls and through floor drains, sump pumps, construction joints and cracks or pores in hollow-block walls. Normal pressure differences between the house and the soil can create a slight vacuum in the basement, which can draw radon from the soil into the building. The design, construction and ventilation of the home can affect the radon levels of the home.
Radon exposure outdoors is much less of a risk than indoors because the radon is diluted to low concentrations by the large volume of air.

Radon Remedies

As with many other indoor contaminants, the solution is dilution, meaning that ventilation is required to reduce the level of pollutants by providing fresh air to your home. A Heat Recovery Ventilator, or HRV, also called an air-to-air heat exchanger, can be installed to increase ventilation which will help reduce the radon levels in your home. An HRV will provide ventilation while recovering heat from the outgoing air and addign it to the fresh incoming air. HRVs can be designed to ventilate all or part of your home. If properly balanced and maintained, they ensure a constant degree of ventilation throughout the year. HRVs also can improve air quality in homes that have other indoor pollutants. Unussually high levels of Radon Gas may require more direct and aggressive measures to mitigate the risk.

Mechanical Ventilation Systems
Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems perform these important tasks:

• They bring fresh air indoors;
• They vent stale air outside;
• They circulate the air throughout the building; and
• They control temperature and humidity levels.