How to Know if Your Home has a Radon Problem

The detection of radon in residential areas, particularly residential areas located in the midwest, is a pernicious issue. It is vital to you and your loved ones’ continued health and wellbeing that you ensure radon levels inside your home remain below the recommended EPA action level.

If you’re not already aware, radon gas decays into radioactive particles – which get trapped in your lungs when you breathe. As they break down further and further, these particles release small bursts of energy. These small bursts of energy can damage lung tissue – leading to lung cancer. In fact, according to the EPA, radon continues to be the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers!

If your home happens to be located in a state previously populated by glaciers and other ice formations (such as those in the Wisconsin) – these factors could raise your localized radon levels – as elements in water and ice can break down over hundreds, thousands and millions of years and ultimately release radon gas.

We here at Lifetime Radon Solutions, Inc. have produced this brief, handy dandy guide to help you understand the risks of radon and how to safely, professionally detect radon levels.

Tips on how to Know if Your Home has a Radon Problem

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!

Signs of radon you should never ignore

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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.