People can be exposed to radon primarily from breathing radon in air that comes through cracks and gaps in buildings and homes. When someone drinks or uses water with high radon levels for household chores, the exposure to radon is much lower than from breathing radon which enters a home through soil. This dangerous, radioactive gas travels through porous soil and enters the air. Click to see full answer Similarly one may ask, do radon mitigation systems really work? Radon from soil is the main cause of elevated radon levels but sometimes radon in homes may enter through well water. The differences in air pressure between the inside of a building and the soil around it also play an important role in radon entry. Radon gas that enters a home through the basement or crawl space has no difficulty moving to the upstairs and into living areas. Radon is a radioactive gas that comes naturally from soil and rocks. The gas then escapes from the bottom and into the outdoors moreover as the house's indoors. It can enter your house through: openings around utility pipes, joints between basement floors and walls including perimeter (French) drains, other floor drains (especially those that discharge to dry wells), the . See Related Article: What Causes Radon in Basements? Heating of the air creates a suction of air from the lower part of the house, towards the higher part of the house. Radon can enter a house in several ways. Non-visible and visible cracks in your slab foundation and basement are great areas for radon to enter the home. Radon comes from the natural decomposition of uranium in soil, water, and rock and can enter your home through cracks and other openings in the foundation. You can read information about radon risk and how to get your home tested in the notes section of the online tool. The tool shows radon and lead risk as topics; we are working to expand topics. Radon has a half life of only 3.8 days (thats the good news); the bad news is that uranium 238 (which is where Radon comes from) has a half life of 4.5 BILLION years. However, it can sometimes build up to high levels in homes. Use a digital continuous radon meter to keep track of radon levels from day to day. Assuming our new construction waste pipes are all trapped properly there shouldn't be a chance of sub-slab gasses getting into the house.

Radon exposure has been linked to 16 percent of lung cancer deaths and is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Radon can enter a home any place it finds an opening where the house is in contact with the ground: cracks in foundation walls and in floor slabs, construction joints, gaps around service pipes, support posts, window casements, floor drains, sumps or cavities inside walls. Our home breathes in and out and as our home takes air in, in can pull radon gas into the home through cracks in floors or walls; construction joints; or gaps in foundations around pipes, wires, or conduit. High levels of radon are considered to increase the risk of developing lung cancer. Radon gas enters a home mainly through the cracks and holes in its basement floor and the walls. Radon -- an odorless, colorless gas that occurs naturally in Minnesota soils -- is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Never leave any opening or gap in the concrete slab to allow for soil gases to enter your home. Radon can also enter a home through holes made in the foundation walls for pipes and other utility lines. Radon gas most commonly comes from soil underneath your home's foundation (while water can also be a source of radon gas in the home, it's not as common, and the health risks are not as great). Continuous radon tester. Read what experts found out if a house without a basement has radon. If you have a professional waterproofing contractor install an interior waterproofing system always request a closed system. Any home may have radon problems. Radon gas can enter a home from the soil under the house by process of diffusion through concrete floors and walls, and through cracks in the concrete slab, floors, or walls and through floor drains, sump pumps, construction joints and cracks or pores in hollow-block walls. It can also enter a home through private well water. Normal pressure differences between the house and the soil can create a . Meet The Team; Why Pillar To Post; Social Purpose; There is a high probability that there is radon in your home's soil, and if so, the gas could find its way through cracks, gaps, and porous materials into your home. It passes through small cracks into the house. Radon levels are generally highest in base- We test in Cleveland, Huron, Medina and throughout Ohio. If the air pressure of a house is greater than the soil beneath it, radon will remain outside. Radon mitigation systems do an excellent job of keeping radon out. The differences in air pressure between the inside of a building and the soil around it also play an important role in radon entry. Floor drains. Radon can enter through floor-to-wall joints, control joints, and cracks in the slab. The vacuums that exist within a home are exerted in the crawlspaces, causing radon and other gases to enter the home . Your home traps radon inside, where it can build up. Radon enters your home through the soil surrounding your residence- specifically through small cracks in foundation walls or flooring. Radon testing is needed in every home. Because radon can literally be sucked into a home, any home can potentially have a radon problem. We're on a septic system. You can buy a house that has a radon mitigation system as long as the radon levels are lower than 2.0 pCi/L. Residential exposure is typically the largest portion of a person's annual exposure, so a great deal of research has been done to understand the pathways that radon can follow to enter a house. Entry points in a building envelope (foundation, floor, walls, and roof), can include cracks in concrete floors and walls, construction joints, gaps around service pipes, and other penetrations through foundations and walls. The Surgeon General and the EPA recommend testing for radon and reducing radon in homes that have high levels. It occurs naturally when uranium in the soil breaks down, as do all organic compounds. However, the most common method of how radon enters your home is . All conventional house construction types have been found to have radon levels exceeding the action level of 4 pCi/L. Radon is a radioactive gas that comes naturally from soil and rocks. Basement. Infiltration through above-grade cracks tends to . The colorless, odorless, radioactive gas can enter a house through entry points in the concrete floor slab (both basements and slabs-on-grade). More specifically, radon gas will enter through cracks in the foundation, construction joints, cracks in the . If the air pressure of a house is greater than the soil beneath it, radon will remain outside. In this image potential entry routes for radon in homes with concrete block wall foundations are shown. All conventional house construction types have been found to have radon levels exceeding the action level of 4 pCi/L. The gas is comprised of radioactive particles that, when breathed in, damage the cells lining your lungs. It passes through cracks in the slab and if the home has a crawlspace, the gas seeps through gaps in the framing. In a small number of homes, the building materials (e.g., granite and certain concrete products) can give off radon, although building materials rarely cause radon problems by themselves. In the US, it is responsible for over 20,000 deaths per year. Radon gas is the most deadly indoor air pollutant. What causes radon in a house? The primary way that radon enters a house is through the foundation (crawl space, basement) by a variety of paths: cracks in basement floors drains sump pumps exposed soil construction joints (mortar, floor-wall) loose fitting pipes Radon is also known to enter a home through unsealed sump pump areas and cracks or openings in plumbing and water supplies. It is also water-soluble and can enter a home through well water. Radon naturally occurs with the decay of uranium and thorium, which are often found in granite bedrock. Whether your crawl space is a dirt crawl . It's naturally present in the air where it's generally not much of a problem, however, it can be very harmful when trapped inside a building. Radon can enter into your house through open drainage systems, interior open-channel waterproofing systems, and open sump pits. It enters through the water supply, cracks in solid floors, cracks in walls, and gaps around service pipes. Radon isn't present in every property, but when it is, it can enter a house when the inside pressure is lower than the outside pressure. Radon can enter a house through any opening. Simply put, an atom of Radon that enters a house on any given day will be "safe" in 3.8 days & no longer capable of causing an elevated Radon reading. This gas moves up through the ground to the air above and into your home. There is a high probability that there is radon in your home's soil, and if so, the gas could find its way through cracks, gaps, and porous materials into your home. Radon gas comes from the soil that is in direct contact with our home's foundation. Click to see full answer Also question is, is a radon mitigation system really necessary? The radon gas travels upward through the ground and spreads in the air. Since radon emanates from the ground . Radon gas is completely odorless and invisible, yet it is radioactive and the second leading cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking. It can take different paths to reach your home that includes and is not limited to loose-fitting pipes, cracks in the basement, construction joints, drains, and any other way the gas finds. Typically, the radon enters your home through the base or the foundation. Reduces the flow of radon into the house. Basement. Radon can also penetrate the house through cracks and crevices in the home's foundation unless special measures have been employed to prevent and regulate the same. Conduct the test in the lowest livable area of your house that is regularly used 8 to 10 hours per week. In comparison, the outdoor level of radon is just 0.4 pCi/L. Radon can build up inside your house and cause lung cancer if you breathe it in over many years. Does foundation type affect radon entry? Taller homes add potential for a greater stack effect.