Families can develop serious health issues from exposure to Radon. The air inside your home can be contaminated from Radon. It is one of the biggest causes of lung cancer. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, there are over twenty thousand deaths yearly because of this exposure. It is important to have Radon Testing in Chicago.

What is Radon?

A lot of people do not know what Radon is. When uranium rock combined with soil or dirt and groundwater breaks down, it creates the gas known as Radon. Slowly but surely it will make its way up to the surface. Much of the time the Radon will dissipate and go back up into the air. This is what it has done for millions of years with no problem. When it finds its way into your home, then it becomes a big problem.

Over time air spaces and voids will form under the slab of your foundation to your home. The Radon gas that is in the soil will move up into these areas and then seep slowly into your home. If there are cracks in the foundation, drainage sumps, or showers it can seep up through those areas, as well. With the strong insulation that is in many new homes today, the gas can become trapped in the home. In this situation having such good insulation in the home can work against you.

Homes Need to be Tested

The first thing you need to do is to have Radon Testing in Chicago performed in your home. It is an easy process where a qualified technician comes to your home. They will install detection devices and then check them after a few days have passed. From here they can determine what the radon levels are within your home. If they are high, then there are systems that can be installed that will mitigate the gases. Statistics show that one in every fifteen homes has levels that are excessive. Some states require mandatory testing.

There are two different resolutions to this issue. The first way is to have a qualified professional install pipes that will draw out the radon gas from the spaces under the foundation and then it will be expelled outdoors above the roof by an electric fan attached to pipes on the exterior of the home. The second option is the have the pipes ran through the interior of the home and/or garage and have the gas expelled above the roof that way. In this installation, the electric fan is placed in the attic. That way the system components are not visible outside of the home.