It’s worth checking your home for levels of radon, an odourless gas that is emitted from the breakdown of radioactive material that may lie beneath your property—and here’s why.
Although we think of lung cancer as ‘the smoker’s disease’, up to 20 percent of cases happen to people who have never smoked—and scientists suspect they are caused by exposure to radon.
People don’t understand the potential risk, and around 75 percent of Americans have never had their homes checked for radon levels. “Radon exposure is one of the leading causes of lung cancer in non-smokers,” said David Carbone from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Centre.
If radon is detected in your home, there are a few simple things you can do. Installing a radon remediation system will suck air from the basement where the gas typically lingers, and even opening the windows and using fans or vents will help dispel any gas fumes. Sealing cracks in the floors, walls and foundation can also reduce levels.
It’s not just your home that should be tested. Schools could also be places where radon accumulates—and because the gas is colourless and odourless, people don’t suspect there’s a problem.
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