Steel City Radon
1223 Southgate Drive
Upper St Clair, PA 15241
ph: 412-851-4231
alt:
steelcit
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that occurs threw the breakdown of radium - the decay product of uranium. Both products are naturally occurring common elements in our soil. As radon decays, it forms radioactive by-products which attach to our lungs as we breath and damage our lung tissues. It is harmlessly dispersed in the outdoor air, but it accumulates in buildings. Radon enters your home through cracks in the basement and foundation
What are the health risks of radon?
Radon is radioactive gas that when inhaled attaches to your lungs, where it undergoes a radioactive decay and eventually causes lung cancer by damaging the DNA of the sensitive lung tissue.
Where is radon found?
Radon is found in homes, buildings, schools, townhouses, homes built on slabs. The highest level of concentration is normally found on the lowest level. In every state, levels of radon have been found. No area is free from the risk of having radon.
How does radon get entry in?
Radon gas enters the home through cracks in the floor, walls, foundation, hollow block walls, and sump pumps. Basements with no visible signs of cracks or openings also can have radon because radon can move easily through all gas permeable materials (concrete floors). The process also begins by heating your home: as the heated air moves vertically through the interior of the stucture, it begins to create suction which creates a vacuum. The air sucked in from the soil under the house threw cracks, concrete floor, and blocked walls causes an influx of radon. Radon levels can fluctuate 100% due to cooling and heating seasons. Varying weather seasons create pressure differentials which can change your radon levels.
Radon Facts
Radon is an odorless, colorless gas.
One in every 15 homes has radon levels above the EPA's action level of 4.0pci/L.
According to the US EPA, radon causes approximately 22,000 deaths each year.
Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths. When smokers are exposed to high radon levels their risk of lung cancer is very high.
Radon is not only a problem in homes, but in schools and workplaces.
Common Radon Myths
"The house has been closed for a "long time, isn't that why the radon levels are high" #1 asked question
Radon is a radioactive gas, it has a known half life of 3.8 days. Every 3.8 days, half of whatever level of radon you half disspates or decays away. So the radon that is recorded on a test is radon that has entered a building recently. The radon that entered a couple of months is gone due th the 3.8 half life of radon.
My builder or realestate agent says there is no radon in this sectio of town?
Radon is a naturally occurring and is found everywhere in the US to some degree. So radon can be found anywhere. The only way to know for sure is to test.
A few of my neighbors have tested for radon and they don't have high levels , so I will not have high levels either.
Radon levels can vary from house to house, even on the same street. The radon level in your home depends on the geology under and near your home. The extent to which soil gasses will seep into your home from cracks , sump pumps and french drains can vary form home to home.
My home is on a slab, I have a town house or this is new construction I don't have radon
Just because you do not have a basement or the home is new construction does not mean you do not have radon. As in the previous answer everything depends on the geology under and near your home. To know for sure you need to test
Copyright 2011 Steel City Radon. All rights reserved.
Steel City Radon
1223 Southgate Drive
Upper St Clair, PA 15241
ph: 412-851-4231
alt:
steelcit