What Are Signs Of Radon In Your Home? 5 Radon Poisoning Symptoms
- Written by: Kate Holder
- Category: Uncategorized
- Published: October 1, 2021
Awareness of Radon gas in Maryland Montgomery County homes is growing and so are questions about what is radon. Where radon comes from ? and Why its Dangerous. The major difference of radon gas with well-known natural gas is that radon does not have smell, color, taste.
What is Radon Gas ?
Radon is radioactive gas formed from uranium break down. Our houses are build on a top of soil. Most soil types consist of uranium. Therefore, toxic level of radon can build up in any house.
Properties of Radon
- Inert or Noble Gas(does not chemically react)
- Colorless
- Odorless
- Tasteless
- Naturally occurring
- Decays into Radioactive decay products=RDPs
Radon 222- Isotope(of radon) of most concern to public health
How Does Radon Enter my Home?
Radon gas usually comes to the house through cracks in the foundation, crawl space, fittings, sump pumps, piping or drains.
Why Should You Be Careful About Radon?
Radon gas is second leading cause of lung cancer. When radon gas is inhaled, it continues to emit radiation inside of your lungs , damaging the cells DNA.
Radon Decay Products:
- Source of cell damage in lungs
- Have static charge
- Chemically reactive
- Solid particles
- Heavy Metals : Polonium 218, Lead 214, Bismuth 214, Polonium 214
- Easily attach themselves to solid objects such as dust, smoke, walls, floors, clothing, or any other object
5 Radon Poisoning Symptoms
You wont have symptoms of radon poisoning right away. However, lung cancer can show up after many years of neglecting the high radon levels in the basement
- Shortness of breath that gets worse
- A persistent cough. Chronic, hacking, raspy coughing , something with mucus that has blood in it.
- Tightness or pain in the chest that doesn’t go away
- Trouble swallowing. Swelling of neck and face
- Hoarseness
How do I know if my Home is affected ?
Have your home radon tested. Radon usually much higher during the cold season. While DIY test kits are widely available on market, we do recommend working with professional calibrated equipment . To insure that you receive accurate results. Note: radon decays fast. Test kits if not shipped on time and analyzed in the lab will be VOID.
Alfa Air Agency provide Radon Inspection Services in DC metropolitan area. Short term test is only 48h. For more information on radon testing fill out Book Online appointment form.
