Trace amounts of radiation from Japan was detected by State officials in the southeastern states. This air pollution fallout, of course, is from fuel degradation at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant in Japan.
Turns out, we are exposed to radiation every day from man-made or natural materials. Regardless, this trace amount of ionized reactor radiation is an added threat to our lungs.
Harmful radiation is ionizing radiation. It can make chemical changes in material. It’s the kind of radiation that causes cancer. And since lung cancer is our number one cancer in America listen up homeowners and real estate agents.
Breathing Radon Gas Over Time Can Cause Lung Cancer.
A nuclear engineer at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Dr. Caracappa says the biggest chunk of naturally occurring ionizing radiation comes from radon.
This radioactive gas builds up under your home and threatens your family’s health. The more radon you are exposed to, and the longer the exposure, the greater the cancer risk.
Indoor air quality is one of the five pillars of green building. Your indoor radon air threat varies depending upon where you live. Find your State county on this radon map.
This hazard is colorless, tasteless, and odorless. Unless you test for it, there is no way of telling how much is present.
A black Radon detector test deviceEvery home should be tested for radon to create a baseline result. The test is an easy and inexpensive way to give you peace of mind.
Every home should be tested, especially since it is super easy and inexpensive.
Even new homes built with radon-resistant features should be tested after you move in, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to ensure that radon levels are acceptable.
Smokers and people exposed to second-hand smoke, have the largest health risk from radon gas exposure. Smoking and radon have a powerful synergy when it comes to lung cancer.
Radon gas comes from the natural decomposition of uranium in soil, rock and water. It moves up through the ground into your home through cracks in floors, walls, joints, gaps around pipes and other foundation holes. Well water can also be a source of radon too.
Fix your home if the radon level is 4 picoCuries (pCi/L) per Liter or higher. After a 137-day test, our home in the North Carolina Sandhills yielded 0.8 pCi/L. We can now rule out the need to spend any more time and money on this invisible hazard.
If you are buying or selling a home and want assurance about radon, consult the EPA’s “Home Buyer’s and Seller’s Guide to Radon”.
We may have no control over radiation fallout from nuclear accidents, but eliminating long-term exposure to ionizing radon gas in your home is completely preventable.
I’d love to know what steps you taken about radon at your home?
To learn more about controlling radon at home see this valuable 10-minute video.
