Radon Gas Detector – Keep Your Family Safe
Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, naturally-occurring radioactive noble gas that is formed from the decay of radium. It is one of the heaviest substances that remains as a gas under normal conditions. Radon, considered as a very serious health hazard, is a significant contaminant that affects indoor air quality worldwide. This gas can accumulate in buildings, especially in confined areas such as the basement. Radon can also be found in some bodies of water such as hot springs. This gas is carcinogenic and is reportedly the second most common cause of lung cancer, next to cigarette smoking. Radon-induced lung cancer is also the sixth leading cause of cancer death all over the world. Reports also found out that radon causes 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year in the United States alone.
Because radon is a colorless and odorless gas, it is not readily detectable by a human. The radiation decay products are thought to ionize genetic materials, perhaps causing mutations that can turn cancerous. However, there are relatively simple tests for radon gas, but are not commonly done, even in areas of known systematic hazards. That is because testing for presence of this gas is itself hazardous to humans. Radon is a very heavy gas and thus will tend to accumulate at the floor level. Building materials can be a significant source of radon, but very little testing is done for stone, rock, or tile products brought into building sites.
Radon test kits are commercially available and include collectors that can be hung in the lowest livable floor of the house for several days, maybe from two to seven. The user can then send the collector to a laboratory who know how to handle this type of chemical for analysis. There is a list of radon measurement professionals that was releases by the National Environmental Health Association to help many people with this type of problem. There are also long-term kits available on the marker that can collect information from 91 days to one year. An open land test kit can also be used to test radon emissions from the land before construction begins.
The first and most important thing to remember when using home radon detection kits is where you place them to get an accurate result. Since radon is a heavy gas that sinks, it is advisable to put the radon detectors in the lowest level of your home, maybe the ground floor or basement. It should be placed near cracks and openings and on the floor. Also, never put the test kits on highly humid place as this will affect the results of your test. Also, the detector should not be shaken or moved in any way, especially during the testing period.
Another very important tip to put in mind when trying to do a radon detection by using commercially available test kits, you should consider the weather when taking the test. This is because conditions like storm and wind can affect the result of the test. It is also recommended to always shut the doors and windows when taking a radon test, or at least for twelve hours straight. Also, there are some radon detectors that is more sensitive to weather.
Lastly, you should be able to send the detectors to professionals or to a laboratory the detection kit to make the final test on whether you have radon exposure in your home. Those are the only people who can truly detect the presence of radon in your home by using different methods and apparatus only available to them. And also, they are far more experienced in handling dangerous chemicals such as the cancer-causing gas radon.
The cold hard fact is that radon is a very dangerous and harmful gas, especially to human after long-term exposure. And because of its characteristic that make it hard to detect, it is very important to be able to learn earlier the presence and contamination of this carcinogenic gas in your home. That is to be able to protect yourself and your family from its very frightening and deadly cause: DEATH.
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