Busting 10 Radon Myths: Unveiling the Truth

(1) I'm safe because I don't spend much time in my basement.

FACT: If your furnace or duct runs are located in your basement or crawlspace, anytime the furnace fan runs for either heat or air conditioning, the radon level on the first floor is often the same as it is in the basement or crawlspace. Staying out of the basement doesn’t matter if your furnace fan is running even occasionally.

(2) I already have a radon monitor in my home and it says I'm safe.

FACT: Some people mistakenly think that carbon monoxide monitors or smoke detectors measure radon. Every home should have both but they can't detect radon. On average, residential fires kill 2,800 Americans every year. Carbon monoxide deaths in the home average 235 per year. Radon, still at 21,000 deaths a year.*

*It just so happens, our lüft Plug-in Indoor Air Quality and Radon Monitor DOES monitor for Radon, for a total of 6 important Indoor Air Quality detectors.

(3) Radon is naturally occurring so it must be safe.

FACT: Radon IS naturally occurring and so are earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, lightning, volcanoes, avalanches and mudslides. On average, radon kills more people every year than all of those combined. Dirt is natural too, but you don't want to be under six feet of it.

(4) My home is new so I can’t have a radon problem.

FACT: Many newer homes have higher radon levels than older ones because they now design homes to have better porosity in the soil around the house. This is done for moisture control but the result is easier flow for the radon gas to be drawn in. It doesn’t matter how old your home is, if there is the right amount of radium in the soil, you may have a serious problem.

(5) My neighbor's home tested fine so I must be safe.

FACT: You can never rely on your neighbor’s radon results as a comparison to yours. Even identical homes in the same development, next door to each other, built at the same time by the same builder can be 100 times higher or lower than your house. There can even be a huge difference in just one side of a duplex or attached townhome. That is why every residence in America needs to be tested.

(6) I live in an area that doesn’t have any radon problems.

FACT: Some areas of the country have been shown to have lower radon levels on average than others, but serious problems have been found in every state and in many areas that used to be considered low risk.

(7) My home is a ________________ (walk-out, ranch, 2 story, split level, slab on grade, etc.) so I won’t have a problem.

FACT: The style of the home has very little to do with radon entry. All structures have negative pressures in the lower half of the building no matter how they are built or how they are designed. No particular style of home is more or less likely to have a radon problem including homes of all types: old homes, new homes, drafty homes, insulated homes, homes with basements, and homes without basements. The only way to know you have a problem, is to test.

(8) Low-level exposure to radon is harmless.

FACT: There is no level of exposure to radiation that is harmless. Human exposure to radiation should be avoided whenever possible. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and every other health agency state that any home with radon levels of 4 pCi/L or greater should be fixed. Period. If your home is between 2 and 4 pCi/L, you should seriously consider fixing it.

(9) Homes with radon problems can’t be fixed.

FACT: Hundreds of thousands of homeowners have already had their radon problems fixed and more and more families are doing it every day. Any home can be fixed and the higher the radon level, the faster you should have it fixed.

(10) I’m sure my friends, neighbors and loved ones already know about radon so I won’t worry about them.

FACT: The majority of families in the United States still don’t know how serious radon is. They’ve heard about it, seen some news about it and still don’t know the facts. Please help spread the word by telling everyone you can about radon. Knowledge is power and with knowledge comes responsibility. Please, make sure they know as much as you do.

Protecting Your Family Is Easy... Learn the Facts, Test your Home. If a Problem is Found, Fix It. And Spread the Word to Loved Ones. Read More

Source: RadonAwareness.org