what is considered long term exposure to radon
Radon Levels
Disclaimer: It is strongly recommended that all households, schools and office spaces test radon levels individually. The EPA Radon Zone data is not an indicator of individual test results, but a guideline for strategic planning. Toxic radon levels tin can be found in all counties, regardless of their zone rating. While we make efforts to keep this information up to date, it is derived from thirdpolitical party sources which may not be authentic or reverberate the near current statistics.
User Submitted Radon Levels Across The Country
| Alabama(5.75) | Alaska(half dozen.73) | Arizona(6.67) | Arkansas(9.46) |
| California(v.4) | Colorado(ix.four) | Connecticut(6.75) | Delaware(6.17) |
| Florida(7.01) | Georgia(half-dozen.93) | Idaho(viii.85) | Illinois(vii.51) |
| Indiana(7.68) | Iowa(9.96) | Kansas(8.23) | Kentucky(9.58) |
| Louisiana(3) | Maine(7.93) | Maryland(9.32) | Massachusetts(seven.74) |
| Michigan(6.56) | Minnesota(6.49) | Mississippi(ten.25) | Missouri(7) |
| Montana(8.25) | Nebraska(7.59) | Nevada(7.09) | New Hampshire(viii.8) |
| New Bailiwick of jersey(six.05) | New United mexican states(7.71) | New York(vii.21) | Northward Carolina(7.92) |
| North Dakota(9.82) | Ohio(8.41) | Oklahoma(six.89) | Oregon(vii.thirteen) |
| Pennsylvania(9.59) | Rhode Island(7.41) | South Carolina(7.xiii) | Due south Dakota(10.v) |
| Tennessee(seven.52) | Texas(8.18) | Utah(8.56) | Vermont(vii.64) |
| Virginia(vii.3) | Washington(seven) | Washington DC(four) | Westward Virginia(9.61) |
| Wisconsin(8.68) | Wyoming(eight.fifteen) |
Table of Contents
- What are the Different Radon Levels and What practise they Mean?
- What Levels are Considered to be "Safe" Living Conditions?
- What are Some Symptoms Associated with Radon Exposure?
- How Practice You Examination for Radon in a Residence?
- How to Reduce Radon Levels if they are likewise High
- Radon in Water
- How do You Monitor Radon Levels in Your Dwelling house?
Radon gas can be extremely hazardous to the human body when long term exposure is involved. That is why it is very important that y'all monitor radon levels in your home or concern regularly. If the levels are elevated then you must accept activity as soon as possible to eliminate the problem. There's a common misconception that radon mitigation is very costly, but that is only not true. In fact, the issues that volition ascend from not taking care of the problem early on will be more costly than the removal procedure – especially when y'all factor in medical bills.
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, so you tin bet there volition be plenty of medical bills from long-term exposure. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Surgeon General'southward Function approximate that every bit many as 20,000 lung cancer deaths are caused every year past radon poisoning. In other words, radon tin get a serious problem if left unchecked. If you lot want to know more about radon in general, or y'all would like to know how to examination for radon, visit the appropriate pages here at RadonResources.com. Nosotros have plenty of information on the site to assistance keep yous in-the-know.
Since we've already discussed radon basics and testing methods elsewhere, we're going to explore the different levels of radon. Most people are aware that yous need to examination for radon regularly, and there are plenty of habitation testing kits available at local retailers, hardware stores and online. Unfortunately, in that location is a lack of reference material on the various radon levels that tin exist returned by such tests. Nosotros volition cover the diverse levels individually, and what each one of them hateful for your health. We will likewise briefly affect on the basics of the radon mitigation and removal procedure.
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What are the Different Radon Levels and What do they Mean?
Radon is measured in Picocuries per liter of air, or pCi/L.
If you're new to all of this, the numbers can certainly be daunting. Don't fret, considering we're going to break downward each level individually. The chart below compares the risk of cancer to diverse other risks, every bit it pertains to each significant radon level. It should be noted that this information only applies to people who have never smoked. The risk increases exponentially if you have smoked and you are also exposed to radon gas.
| Risks of Radon Exposure | |
|---|---|
| Radon Levels | The run a risk of cancer from radon exposure is equal to… |
| twenty pCi/L | 35 times the hazard of drowning |
| 10 pCi/L | 20 times the risk of dying in a house burn |
| eight pCi/L | 4 times the risk of dying in a fall |
| four pCi/L | The risk of dying in a car accident |
| two pCi/Fifty | The gamble of dying from poison |
| i.iii pCi/L | Average indoor level |
| 0.4 pCi/L | Average outdoor level |
| Source: http://www.epa.gov/radon/ | |
What Levels are Considered to be "Safe" Living Conditions?
Co-ordinate to the The states EPA, whatever corporeality of exposure to Radon gas is unhealthy. Notwithstanding, the EPA has set an action level of 4 pCi/L, which means if the levels in your residence meet or exceed that amount you should accept action immediately. The recommended limit of 4 pCi/L is the absolute maximum it should ever be within a residence. Levels higher than that are exponentially more dangerous in terms of exposure. The risk of lung cancer increases nigh 16% per every 2.7 pCi/50.
That beingness said, it is recommended for any and all residences to maintain a level of 2 pCi/L or below. In fact, if the levels in your residence are college than 0.4 pCi/50 you should await into proper Radon mitigation procedures and methods.
The average indoor level of Radon gas is about i.3 pCi/Fifty. The national boilerplate of outside radon levels is approximately 0.four pCi/L, which is why the number was listed above every bit a reference signal for mitigation. Depending on where you lot live, the levels outside of your home may be as high as 0.75 pCi/50.
At 0.75 pCi/50, ii people out of 1,000 would probable get lung cancer if exposed to that level of radon gas over their unabridged lifetime, provided they never smoked a 24-hour interval in their life. Again, that risk increases significantly where smoking is a cistron.
What are Some Symptoms Associated with Radon Exposure?
Unfortunately, there are no brusk term symptoms associated with radon exposure. Couple that with the fact that radon is colorless, odorless and tasteless and you tin can see why it's incredibly dangerous. Yous will not be able to tell whether you are being exposed to elevated radon levels unless you specifically test your residence. The only known and documented symptoms that go forth with radon exposure are those also associated with smoking-induced lung cancer. That being said, such symptoms are most likely to appear afterwards years and years of long term exposure. Non that any other symptoms would exist welcome. It goes without maxim, lung cancer is serious enough.
Radon decays rather quickly, producing small radioactive particles. These particles can be inhaled into the lungs, where they sit down earlier eventually damaging the cells lining the interior. The damaged or cancerous cells can deteriorate to the point of failure. There is also inconclusive testify of an increased hazard of leukemia in adults and children that have been exposed to radon.
All of these numbers are useless without something practical to dorsum them upward. Cigarette smoking is the leading crusade of lung cancer, and that's pretty well known. Radon presents a far smaller risk, however information technology is all the same the second leading crusade of lung cancer in the US. Approximately 15,000 to twenty,000 lung cancer deaths each twelvemonth are due to radon exposure.
There are several different forms of lung cancer ane tin contract from chronic exposure to radon gas:
Cancers Caused By Radon Exposure
- squamous cell carcinoma
- small cell carcinoma
- adenocarcinoma
- large cell carcinoma
Radon Related Respiratory Issues
- emphysema
- pulmonary fibrosis
- chronic interstitial pneumonia
- silicosis
- respiratory lesions
Equally previously mentioned, the combination of tobacco smoke and radon exposure increases the risk of cancer exponentially. More than than ten percent of radon-related cancer deaths occur in nonsmokers, which means the other 80-90% are smokers.
It was beginning discovered that radon is associated with lung cancer because hush-hush uranium miners were dying frequently from it. The environment where they spent most of their time was saturated with extremely high levels of radon, so they experienced long-term exposure. In tests done on minors, it was also discovered that other variables played a role in the bear upon radon had on their lungs such as age, duration of exposure, and the time since the first exposure.
How Do You Examination for Radon in a Residence?
We take a very long and informative page that discusses everything yous would ever want to know about testing for radon in your home or business organization. That aside, we'll cover the basics here so that you tin can become familiar with the idea of radon testing.
At that place are ii different types of radon tests available: long-term or curt-term. The short-term tests are designed to be run over a span of 2 to 90 days, whereas the long-term tests are designed to be run for ninety days or longer. The reason for this is because radon levels tin be affected by many dissimilar variables including the season, temperature and more. Just because your radon levels are low at 1 point in time does not mean they are not higher at all, and vice versa. Long-term tests are designed to provide an accurate reading for an unabridged year or timeframe.
It is common practice to showtime with a couple of short-term tests first, and if the levels read college than 4 pCi/L to move on to a long-term examination. At that place are DIY radon testing kits available at any local hardware store, retailer or online. If yous are not comfy performing the examination yourself y'all tin hire a professional. Information technology is worth noting that some radon mitigation contractors will and can run tests, however you should never assume as such. In some cases yous may take to hire a specialist to run the tests and analyze the results, and hire another professional to perform the radon mitigation maintenance on a home or residence – when the levels are elevated, of form.
It tin take a while to get the results back for a examination, particularly when you opt to apply a DIY kit. This is because you must first collect air samples in the residence, then you must mail the samples to a remote lab. The air will be analyzed and the lab will return an in-depth study most the air that was tested. More importantly, they will provide an accurate reading of radon levels in your home. Because there are many things that can touch the effect of a test, it is wise to run multiple tests in a home.
How to Reduce Radon Levels if they are also High
In the event that radon levels in your residence are institute to exist elevated, yous should take activity every bit soon as possible. There are several means to mitigate radon gas in a residence, but nosotros recommend hiring a professional person contractor to assist in the process. Radon mitigation contractors will generally assess your residence and approach the process appropriately. The type of radon mitigation organization that is put into place depends on your location and your habitation. More than importantly, the foundation of any home can greatly bear upon which method is used.
In houses with a basement, or crawlspace radon is reduced through iv different types of soil suction: sub-slab suction, drain tile suction, sump concur suction and block wall suction. Sub-slab suction is actually 1 of the about common and most effective radon reduction methods. It involves running suction pipes below the flooring or foundation straight into crushed stone or soil. The arrangement basically vents out the radon gas earlier it tin travel anywhere else. Virtually mod homes will be outfitted with a sub-slab organisation provided the foundation allows for information technology. The average organization costs near $1500 to put into place.
Another method involves a device called a oestrus recovery ventilator (HRV), or air-to-air heat exchanger. It substantially creates ventilation to the outside past introducing fresh air into a residence, cooling or heating the new air at the same time. HRVs are actually more effective in confined areas like a basement, and must only be used when radon levels are well below x pCi/L. Depending on the size of the device HRVs can cost anywhere from $600 all the way up to $1500. Evidently, the more than powerful the device the higher the cost.
Additional radon mitigation techniques include the post-obit – effective mitigation levels are likewise listed where applicable:
| Radon Mitigation Techniques and Effectiveness | |
|---|---|
| Technique | Effective Mitigation % |
| Subslab suction | fifty% to 99% |
| Passive subslab suction | 30% to 70% |
| Draintile suction | l% to 99% |
| Block wall suction | 50% to 99% |
| Sump pigsty suction | 50% to 99% |
| Submembrane depressurization (crawlspace) | 50% to 99% |
| Natural ventilation (crawlspace) | 50% to 99% |
| Seal radon entry locations | N/A |
| Domicile pressurization | 50% to 99% |
| Natural Ventilation | Northward/A |
| Oestrus Recover Ventilation | North/A |
| Private well water aeration | 90% to 95% |
| Private well water granular carbon (GAC) | 85% to 99% |
| Source: http://www.epa.gov/radon/ | |
Y'all may or may not choose to seal your home amend, but it should exist noted that this will non reduce existing radon levels. Instead, sealing a dwelling house will but make a radon mitigation system more constructive and should help prevent future gas from seeping in. Information technology should never exist used as a single method in radon reduction strategies. However, a contractor may recommend sealing off gaps and cracks in floors, walls and the foundation. If the radon levels are dangerous and the mitigation system doesn't seem to exist helping besides every bit information technology should, this may be a suitable solution.
Finally, once a radon mitigation organization is in identify you must monitor and maintain information technology. It is an important role of the radon mitigation process even though it's considered an actress stride. If the system ceases to ventilate the radon properly the levels will increase all over once again.
Radon in Water
Radon can as well enter your residence through the water supply, still in that location's a much greater gamble that it will enter your home through the soil and foundation. Radon in water is generally a problem if you lot have a private well for your home. If you are concerned that radon may exist entering your residence through the water supply in that location are special tests you lot can run. While it is possible to go stomach cancer from ingesting radon, it's more likely that you volition besides contract lung cancer from long-term exposure through a contaminated h2o supply. This is because y'all volition exist inhaling the radon particles while in the shower, drinking from the h2o or interacting with it in some other way. Therefore, it is still possible to contract 1 of several forms of lung cancer due to radon from a individual water supply.
Water-based radon problems can be hands fixed in one of two ways, through point-of-use or point-of-entry. Point-of-entry involves putting a organization in place to filter the radon before it even enters your home. Point-of-use involves placing a granular filter on the faucet or exit point so that the radon can be filtered earlier it is passed through. The point-of-employ based systems are less effective in removing a radon presence completely, because there are several areas and points of entry for a water supply and it's likely that the filtration system will not embrace every i of them.
How do You Monitor Radon Levels in Your Home?
One of the most effective ways to monitor radon levels in a residence or concern is to install a radon detector. Information technology works almost exactly like a burn alarm or smoke detector. It constantly analyzes and monitors the air for traces of radon gas. If the levels reach a dangerous corporeality, the detector will sound an warning. Well-nigh radon detectors will also brandish an approximate level rating. In some cases, a radon detector can return more than accurate results than a DIY test, especially 1 that requires the results to be mailed.
Radon detectors should exist handled just like testing kits. In that respect, they should be installed in the lowest level of the residence, and they should be left to sit for at least a month earlier a reading is taken. In addition, you should refrain from opening windows and doors to the outside as much as possible when you showtime install the device. Almost detectors will merely mount to the wall, and are powered through a regular power outlet or batteries.
Since radon test kits tin cost more than than $15 and multiple will be necessary it may be a better idea to purchase a detector, which is usually in the range of $100-$150 depending on the model and features. A detector should never be considered the deciding gene when it comes to installing a mitigation arrangement. If radon levels are high, yous should take a arrangement installed regardless.
If you would like a fleck more than information on radon in your area you can visit this US EPA folio and select the country where you live. It will take you straight to the contact data for the state radon center in your area.
Source: https://radonresources.com/radon-levels/
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