The Necessity of Radon Abatement in Kalamazoo, Michigan
Radon abatement is sometimes known as radon mitigation; its goal is simply to protect a home’s residents from the harmful effects of radon gas. Radon is hazardous due to its radioactivity. It is created from both natural and industrial sources, and its levels must be carefully monitored to ensure the continued good health of a home’s inhabitants. It can enter a house through groundwater contamination, as well as from the soil that surrounds a basement or foundation.
The Definition of Radon Abatement
Radon abatement is simply a general term for the process of removing radon gas from a house. Radon is in fact the most significant source of radiation that most people will ever be exposed to in their lives. It the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers and inevitably contributes to the overall incidence of cancer, especially lung cancer. Since contamination could happen anywhere in the country, you should have your house’s radon levels tested at least annually.
Radon gas forms as a side effect of the breakdown of natural uranium and thorium deposits. These elements, which can be found anywhere in trace quantities in the soil, slowly decay, creating radon as a byproduct. It is for this reason that any basement has some risk of accumulating radon. The Kalamazoo area, unfortunately, has been found to be particularly vulnerable to this problem.
The Necessity of Radon Abatement
Detecting and then purging radon is one way to reduce the likelihood of cancer in a household. Most people do not like the idea of the expense of having their property examined unless they know there is a danger. Unfortunately, since radon cannot be seen or smelled, without testing you would never know whether you actually were in danger.
Radon is everywhere in tiny quantities, but it becomes dangerous when it concentrates indoors. There are plenty of carcinogens in a typical home, but radon is especially dangerous because it tends to cling to dust particles; it is a heavy and sticky atom. If radon-laced dust is inhaled into the lungs, the particle will remain in place and deliver a steady stream of radiation, potentially leading to eventual lung cancer.
The Process of Radon Abatement
The good news is that dealing with high radon levels need not be terribly difficult. You simply need to contact professionals in radon abatement from SWAT Environmental. Having them install a radon abatement system will go a long way toward maintaining your peace of mind about your family’s health.
A permanent system will need to be installed if radon gas is seeping gradually out of the ground, as is the case with most radon-contaminated houses. A radon abatement system employs a series of pipes and fans that suck the contaminated air out of the ground level of the basement, or even out from beneath the foundation, and then release it harmlessly into the wind above the house. With this type of system in place, you will have one less thing to worry about.
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