RAdon Facts
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium which is found in the soil and rock throughout the United States.
Radon decays into radioactive particles that can become trapped in your lungs when you breathe. As these particles decay, they release small bursts of radiation that can damage lung tissue which can potentially lead to lung cancer. The U.S. Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the country. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Colorado Department of Health have established a minimum recommended action level for mitigation of 4.0 picocuries of radon gas elements per liter of air in a residence, commercial building or school.
Radon is an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas. The only way to know if your home has elevated radon levels is to TEST.
Radon travels through the soil and enters buildings through openings and foundation. Radon enters your home from the soil because it is being drawn by the negative pressures or vacuums within your home.
The vacuum in your home is caused either by mechanical systems or by a thermal stack effect.
All types and age of homes can have elevated radon levels.
Homes with basements, crawl spaces, slab on grade or any combination can all have elevated radon levels.
A new home can have a radon problem as well as an older home.
Your neighbor’s radon levels do not necessarily represent your home’s radon levels. Different factors contribute to the radon levels in a home.
The amount of radon in the soil beneath the home, interior negative pressures and the openings in the home’s foundation are all contributing factors.
The EPA recommendation is to reduce radon levels in your home to below 4.0 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L).
Approximately 50% percent of the homes in Colorado have radon levels at or above the EPA’s action level of 4.0.Most homes can have their radon levels reduced for about the same cost of other common home repairs.
For more information concerning radon call Aspen Radon.
bad radon installation vs. quality instalation and service
Recently Aspen Radon was called in to address an issue from a previous radon contractor's radon mitigation installation because the fan would not run after the system had been turned off for the remodeling of the basement. We discovered a dead sparrow in the fan and a bluebird’s bird's nest with 3 eggs in the system's vent (see photo below left). Every radon contractor claims to be an expert and that they install the best radon systems. This is simply an extreme false advertisement. The contractors that killed the bluebird family and squirrel are still in business and installing radon systems in southern Colorado – so be careful.
Most homeowners cannot distinguish a properly installed radon system from a poorly installed radon system and many radon mitigation contractors will take advantage of this to increase their profits.
Some of our business comes from distraught home owners who have been ill served by other certified radon abatement company's shortcuts, lack of diligence, poor design, shoddy installation or downright deception and failure to reduce radon gas levels although they guaranteed to do so. (See testimonial of Lori M., Colorado Springs for example).As with most things, there is a right way and unfortunately many wrong ways to address high radon gas levels and install a radon mitigation system. Aspen Radon approaches each home or building's radon issues as a unique problem to be solved professionally, thoroughly and with guaranteed satisfaction for the homeowner. Over the last few years, as concerns about the health risks from radon (notably, increased incidence rates of lung cancer attributed to radon) have risen, radon contractors have mushroomed across Colorado and other states. Unfortunately, many of these contractors have little experience on which to base their claims to homeowners for expertise in the field. Aspen Radon Inc., has been doing radon testing and mitigation work since 1998. It is not uncommon for Aspen Radon to receive calls from other radon mitigation contractors to help them with problems they are having with their radon systems not reducing the radon levels sufficiently. When it comes to contracting with a company for radon mitigation in your home or other property, do not take chances with your family’s health or a jeopardize real estate transaction. Call on a true expert in the field with a proven track record. Call Aspen Radon!