You have to close the family cabin with the first hard freeze because the water pipes and pump are exposed to the air. This means, of course, the pipes would freeze. Your husband closed it up about a month ago, but you often wish you had the money to winterize it. So far this fall, for example, the area has been having beautiful weather, and it would have been nice to still be using it. Maybe if you ever win the lottery you will make the needed changes.
In addition to worrying about freezing pipes, however, there are also many other reasons why it is important to make sure the your cabin, and your home, is ready for cold weather. During the months when the temperatures drop and it is important to keep homes sealed up tight it is also important to know that the air your family is breathing inside the house is as safe as possible. For this reason, it might be important to have a radon testing company check the lower spaces in your home. Unfortunately, most property owners do not even think about a radon testing company except when it is required as part of a real estate closing transaction. The fact of the matter is, however, it is important to check these levels not just for the next buyer, but for your family.
Radon Testing and Inspection and Necessary Mitigation Processes Make for Safe Indoor Spaces
If you want to know that your family is safe in your home then it is important to realize that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Surgeon General’s Office have estimated that as many as 20,000 lung cancer deaths are caused each year by radon. The Surgeon General, in fact, has gone on to warn that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. today. Fortunately, by simply testing for radon you can go into the winter months feeling better about the air that your family breathes.
A radon testing company not only offers evaluative procedures, but also sump pump installations and other kinds of mitigation strategies. Consider some of these other facts and figures about why it is important to work with an experienced radon testing company as the winter months arrive:
- Nearly one in three homes checked in seven states and on three Indian lands had screening levels over 4 pCi/L, the EPA’s recommended action level for radon exposure, according to the EPA.
- A family whose home has radon levels of 4 pCi/l is exposed to approximately 35 times more radiation as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would allow if that family was standing next to the fence of a waste site with known radioactivity.
- The most recent research indicates that scientists estimate lung cancer deaths could be reduced by 2% to 4%, which would represent nearly 5,000 deaths, by lowering radon levels in homes when the levels exceed the EPA’s action level.
- One option for home owners who want to know if they have unacceptable radon levels in their home is to install a short term detector which measure radon levels for two to 90 days, depending on the device.
- In comparison, a long term test determines the average concentration for more than 90 days.
- Realizing that the risk of lung cancer increases by 16% for every 100 Bq/m increase in long time average radon concentration is the first step in understanding the importance of these kinds of tests.
- Passive systems of mitigation have been shown to be capable of reducing indoor radon levels by more than 50%. When radon ventilation fans are added, however, the benefits are even greater and the radon levels can even be reduced further.
- An overwhelming amount of research continues to show as many as one in 15 U.S. homes is estimated to have radon levels at or above the EPA action level
From standard radon mitigation and abatement services to crawl space sealing and vapor barrier services, radon testing companies provide valuable information for property owners. Winter may serve as a time when some property owners are busy winterizing their summer cabins, but it should also be a time when property owners are careful enough to check the radon levels inside their permanent homes.