There are no “safe” levels of radon, the lower the better. The higher the radon level and the longer the exposure time the higher the risk.
Radon levels can vary throughout the year, but testing during the fall and winter months, when your home is heated, yields the most accurate results. For optimal accuracy, place a radon detector in the lowest lived-in level of your home for at least 90 days; this duration allows for a comprehensive average of radon exposure. While a digital monitor provides immediate readings, these results reflect only a specific moment in time and may not represent long-term exposure accurately.
Testing for radon outside the heating season may result in an inaccurately low reading of your home's radon levels. To obtain more reliable results, it is advisable to conduct radon testing during the winter months, when there is a significant temperature difference between the indoors and outdoors. This temperature differential can enhance radon entry into your home, providing a more accurate reflection of potential exposure levels.
In the winter months, as we heat our homes, warm air rises and escapes through the attic. This natural airflow creates negative pressure in the basement, resulting in a vacuum effect on the concrete slab. When there is a significant temperature difference between the inside and outside of your home, this negative pressure increases, effectively drawing in air—and radon—through the concrete floor of the basement.
Yes, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. The risk of developing lung cancer depends on both the concentration of radon in your environment and the length of exposure. Radon isn't an acute toxin—it doesn’t cause immediate symptoms—but rather poses a serious health risk over time. For context, long-term exposure to radon levels of 150 Bq/m³ is roughly equivalent to smoking eight cigarettes a day or undergoing 200 chest X-rays per year.
No, you do not have a radon mitigation system but rather a rough-in pipe has been added under your concrete slab that facilitates the connection to a radon mitigation system. Do not remove the cap on the pipe.
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