Myths and Facts about Radon
MYTH: My new home is new so I don’t have a radon problem.
FACT: This is simply not true. New homes can have just as much radon inside as an older home and sometimes even more depending on how tight the house is built.
MYTH: My neighbor doesn’t have high radon levels so my house won’t either.
FACT: This is also not true. Your home could have twice as much radon as your neighbors home. This depends on if your house has a crawlspace, how tight it is, cracks in the floor, open sump lids etc., or just the geology under your structure.
MYTH: Radon isn’t really harmful. I’ve lived here for 25 years and don’t have any health problems.
FACT: Radon related lung cancer symptoms may not manifest themselves until five years or more after you contracted the disease. The truth is, is that radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Only people that smoke have a higher risk of getting lung cancer. You will reduce the risk of lung cancer when you reduce the radon levels, even if you have lived with an elevated radon level for a long time. 21,000 deaths in the United States and 170,000 deaths worldwide are attributed to radon gas every year!
MYTH: Radon gas is eliminated when you mitigate.
FACT: Radon gas is naturally occurring and is only redirected from your home by mitigation. Mitigation reduces the amount that accumulates inside your dwelling, but never eliminates it. That’s why it is important to re-test every 2-3 years.
MYTH: Radon mitigation systems cost too much and will be costly to operate.
FACT: The average mitigation system is installed for under $1500.00 and operating cost estimated at approximately $60.00 annually to effectively reduce the levels of radon in your home. The national average life of a radon mitigation fan is 11 years and many last 15-20 years.