Lifetime Radon Solutions has worked for more than 25 years and has experience with well over 25,000+ high-quality residential installations ultimately making Wisconsin homes safer from radon gas. We understand your worry about keeping your family safe, and in this blog post, we want to share some information about radon and how to reduce radon levels in your residence.

​Radon is a naturally occurring gas that seeps in from cracks under the residence and gets trapped indoors. Although it is odorless, colorless, and tasteless, what makes this gas deadly is its radioactive nature which has a not-so-silent effect on one's health. It takes time to develop reactions to this gas, but when talking about health issues like breathing problems, lung cancer, and affected immunity, it is better not to wait for years till your health problems appear. 

​Radon can be present in indoor spaces due to various sources. The most common source is the soil underneath the infrastructure. Building materials, water supply, natural gas penetrations, plumbing and pipe penetrations, and cable penetrations can also be potential sources of radon entry into your home. Radon gas can be drawn into a house from the ground due to the typically lower indoor air pressure compared to outdoor air pressure. It builds up in the air indoors without causing any sensory alarm and, over time, causes health issues.

​Unfortunately, there is no way of predicting radon levels, and comparing it with neighbors may be wasteful as levels vary from area to area and home to home. So, how does one know the radon levels in their homes?

You can get radon testing kits to check the levels. But, given the complexity and dangers of this gas, it is better to get professional help with radon testing and mitigation. 

We at Lifetime Radon Mitigation serve you all year round. Our certified staff and technicians can answer any queries you may have. We value your health and will give you detailed information about our testing and mitigation process, tips about what to do in the future, and other recommendations.

​Installing a radon mitigation system will help you maintain lower radon levels. Our certified professionals can help recommend the best space for installing a radon mitigation system. In case of a leak, it is required to have fans in attics, garages, and/or outside locations. 

Moreover, it is important to retest your home every 2-years (even if you have a radon system already installed) to ensure a consistent reduction of radon levels. If you are concerned about retesting or wondering if it is time for a re-test, you can contact us and check on your concerns. Our team specializes in residential and commercial radon mitigation and radon testing; with us, you can be sure that you are getting the best advice based on your building type and classification.

​We are passionate about helping homeowners and their families improve indoor air quality. It is our mission to help homeowners understand and identify radon issues. We suggest the best course of action based on the test results and make it cost-effective and efficient. 

We make a lifetime difference with our extensive experience, approachable customer service, and competitive, fair pricing. For more information on our company values and reputation, check out - www.lifetimeradonmitigation.com/

Check the radon concentrationYou can check your home’s radon concentration either with a digital, continuous radon monitor or the older, more traditional passive radon detection kit.

Check the water body beneath your home
As the water beneath your home, or the water in your private well will contain some amount of uranium product (which can break down to produce radon particles) – this will be a likely area to check for radon particle concentration in water bodies around your home that you are likely to come in contact with.

Contact a professional radon measurement specialist
While, of course, it is possible to detect the radon levels in your home without professional help – it is advisable to seek professionals – with professional-grade equipment and training – in order to ensure the safety and efficiency of such a project.

Test your home for radiation exposure
​Along with radon detection – testing the radiation exposure within your home can go a long way towards ensuring the continued safety of you and your loved ones residing in your home.

Look for radon-leakage indicators
Open sump basins, dirt, gravel crawl spaces, large cracks in the floor or open plumbing penetrations in the foundation and concrete can give direct access to radon into your home. 

These indicators can be subtle at first, of course, but with the use of either a digital radon detector or an analog radon detector kit – or even with professional help – these sorts of small indicators will be sure to pop up.

Install a radon mitigation system
Once you have determined the radon levels detected within your home are higher than the recommended EPA levels (or even if you would prefer to take precautions prior to this sort of event occurring within your home) – you may wish to consider installing a radon mitigation system. 

In this case, please do not hesitate to reach out to us here at Lifetime Radon Solutions, Inc. – as we just so happen to be professional installers of such necessary radon mitigation systems!

Breathing issues
Even without professional, digital, or passive radon detecting devices and systems – you may be able to get a sense of how the radon levels within your home are affecting your loved ones. One of these radon sickness symptoms include breathing issues!

Raspy voice
Along with breathing issues, family members may also begin to experience raspy voices – as the radon levels in your home begin to erode away their lungs and breathing capacity.

Loss of muscle mass
Your loved ones’ lung capacity will not be the only bodily system affected by the high radon levels inside your household, either. Losing muscle mass can also be a symptom of radon radiation sickness.

Chest pain
This goes without saying – but once one’s lungs are being slowly incapacitated by the high radon levels in your home – their chest could begin to show signs of pressure as well.

What if the inspection reveals high levels of radon?
​If high levels of radon are revealed within your home, we here at Lifetime Radon Solutions would recommend the immediate installation of a radon mitigation system. This way, you can ensure your loved ones are as safe as possible as quickly as possible.

Where is radon most commonly found?
Radon is actually found everywhere but can grow to higher concentrations in confined spaces like homes or other buildings. Every residential and commercial indoor space has radon, it is just a matter of how high the levels are.

Should I test for radon myself?
Again, while this is certainly possible, we here at Lifetime Radon Solutions would recommend seeking professional help for detection services – to ensure safety, efficiency, and the most reliable detectors possible.

Is radon easy to detect?
Yes, radon is very easy and affordable to detect. With professional testing equipment you can get results in as quickly as 48-72 hours. Professional radon testing equipment will also provide more data - like hour by hour concentrations, and things that may have affected the radon levels like barometric pressure readings, temperature and humidity. 

However, with passive radon devices, you do not typically receive all of this important data as a part of your report and it may take a bit more time for the lab to analyze the results. Typically lab results can take anywhere from 7-14 business days.

Wisconsin, if you were not already aware, is one of the US states most at risk of higher than recommended levels of radon. This is because Wisconsin is a state that was filled to the brim with glaciers and other ice formations. These sorts of cold water formations had the tendency to break down and move land while also creating/leaving deposits of soil and rock formations that have arguably led to the release of  higher than average levels of radon into the local area.

The risk of radon radiation remains very real. In fact, radon gas itself decays into radioactive particles – which, in turn damage the lungs when humans breathe in. Breaking down further and further, these noxious radioactive particles release small bursts of energy ultimately leading to lung cancer. According to the EPA, radon has been the number one cause of lung cancer for non-smoking patients!
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In order to help you combat radon radiation exposure in your Wisconsin home, we here at Lifetime Radon Solutions, Inc. have prepared for you this quick guide – in order for you to be more prepared to protect your loved ones living and residing within your home.

​Indeed, as stated above – the state of Wisconsin (along with many other midwestern US states) – has a heightened risk of radon radiation due to the high number of glaciers and other ice formations that were located within the local area. These formations break down, producing radon gas, which in turn breaks down into radioactive daughter particles. Moreover, the energy efficiency construction practices in WI, adopted to keep homes warm during turbulent winters and cool during hot summers, ultimately trap the radon gas within the structure allowing it to grow to higher concentration than recommended for indoor air. Once in the lungs, these radioactive particles can break down even further into cancerous bursts of energy – which as you can imagine is extremely hazardous to health!

​If your house has high radon levels, it is important to consult with a certified mitigation professional because each home has its own unique set of circumstances. In addition to seeking out a certified radon mitigation contractor, it is also important to consider both industry experience and years in business as well. This is because knowledge about the dangers of radon has grown so much in recent years and many contractors, tradesman and even handymen have become “opportunity jumpers” - viewing radon mitigation and testing as a new source of income. Many times, while these contractors may have professional certifications, they do not have a good understanding of how to address radon in certain, difficult situations and in varying forms of construction. This leads to mistakes, injury and even higher radon levels of radon in some circumstances. Moreover, we receive phone calls nearly every day from homeowners that had a system installed improperly or the contractor who initially put in the system is no longer in business and cannot be reached. Lifetime Radon Solutions, Inc. has been in business since 1998 and has successfully mitigated well over 20,000 homes throughout WI and countless commercial properties in both WI and all over the country. While we strive to get better and learn new things each and every day, our mitigation technicians have seen most situations in the past and are experienced in addressing even the most difficult radon mitigation projects.

​Both radon testing and radon mitigation are not regulated by the state government in Wisconsin so many times we as professional contractors see very interesting and concerning approaches to both radon mitigation and radon testing. However, while there is no state certification, licensure or permit requirements for radon mitigation in Wisconsin, the WI Department of Health Services does recommend hiring a NRPP/AARST certified contractor. Our technicians are certified by AARST and the NRPP for radon mitigation and radon testing and we follow the national standards set forth by these accrediting organizations when implementing both radon testing and radon mitigation protocol. 

Is radon mitigation required in Wisconsin?
​Radon mitigation is not required in WI but radon testing (and mitigation if the levels return above the EPA action level of 4.0 pCi/L) is highly recommended by the US EPA, the WI DHS, the CDC, the WHO and virtually every other health service organization worldwide. The consistent recomendation is to test EVERY residential home every 2-years even if you have already tested your home in the pasr or have a mitigation system already installed. This is because radon levels can change and vary greatly depending on an unpredictable amount of circumstances, not limited to remodeling, settling of soil under the foundation, landscaping around the home, and many home upgrades like better insulation and even new windows. The only sure way to know if you have a radon issue is to test your home.

Where is radon most commonly found in homes?
​Because radon is a soil gas and also a heavier molecule, radon is most often found to be highest in the lowest level of the home. In most Wisconsin homes, that tends to be the basement area. However, if you live in a slab-on-grade home that does not have a basement, it is still VERY common to have elevated radon levels. Additionally, HVAC systems can spread radon throughout the home through the ducting systems and it is not unheard of to find radon in building materials - especially those with natural stone or masonry compounds. In some rare circumstances, these building materials can off-gas radon leading to detecably high levels of radon from these sources on upper floors. Lastly, if you have elevated levels of radon in your well-water, sometimes radon gas can be detected in the steam produced during a hot shower or bath.