Four Facts About Radon That You Should Know

Radon is a type of inert gas that you cannot smell, taste or see. However, the effects of radon can be much more far-reaching than you originally thought to be. This is because radon is dangerous and without testing, it's undetectable. Its presence is hazardous. You can be living in a room full of radon gas and you'll not feel a single thing. And the same can be said for any other home having the presence of radon.

So, if you're someone who is planning to purchase a new home for your family, then you need to know certain essential things about radon and how its contamination can happen in any given space. Even the most luxurious places can have elevated radon presence while the simplest of homes can be radon-free. That's why opting for a professional home inspection in Jacksonville FL is highly suggested.

Major Facts To Learn About Radon

It’s A Radioactive Gas

Radon belongs to the category of noble gases in the Periodic Table and is therefore chemically inert. What this means is that - an inert radioactive gas will not react with any other gas in the earth's atmosphere. However, it should be known that radon carries a cancer risk, which is indeed ironic, to say the least, because years back radon was utilised to treat cancer patients.

Radon is released from decaying radium, which is a radioactive element.

Radon Can Be Found In Any Location

Radon doesn’t restrict itself to a specific location because it can be found anywhere. Even though some locations might have more radon concentration than others, it’s quite difficult to locate areas that do not have any radon presence.

So, if you’re getting your pre-purchase home inspection being done by a professional home inspector, there’s no surety that you’ll not find radon inside that specific home. Therefore, you have to take precautionary measures beforehand for the same.

Radon Can Be Found Inside New Homes

Generally, home buyers and homeowners believe that radon is only found inside older homes. But, the real truth is that - radon can also be found inside newer homes. Any home out there can have radon presence - doesn’t matter if it’s built 100 years ago or six months ago.

That's why you always have to be on the front foot and carry out a home inspection procedure to ensure that your home (or to-be home) doesn’t have any radon presence.

Exposure To Radon Means Exposure To Radiation

It should be known that if you’re exposed to radon, it surely means that you’re also exposed to radiation. This is because radon is a by-product of radium decay. Exposure generally happens when people consume the gas either through food or water, or inhale the same with atmospheric oxygen. You must learn that inhaling radon is the easiest way to get exposed to this inert gas and it can happen at any time, at any given place.

It’s Easy To Mitigate Radon Contamination

Even though if you have a home that has radon presence, mitigation is easily possible for the same and the process is fairly simple too. One of the best ways to do that would be to install a fan-assisted ventilation pipe which will directly route the radon from the ground and out of the roof into the upper atmospheric layers.

So, even though radon is a serious home hazard, using the proper procedures, you can mitigate the same. And that brings us to the end of our extensive guide. We hope you relished reading our blog and if you need any type of assistance regarding home inspection requirements, don't hesitate to let us know. We'll help you out in the best possible manner.