Health Effects of Radon | Protech Environmental

Radon gets no respect, because:

It doesn’t give you a headache or make you feel bad in any way. You can’t even sense that it’s there.
It takes years before any effect on the body can be detected by current medical science.
It isn’t caused by some evil corporation that can be picketed.

But people should care about radon, for these reasons:

It is radioactive.
It decays into other radioactive elements (polonium, bismuth, lead) that can become lodged in the lungs.
Radiation is not good for the human body. Less is always better, more is worse. ALARA, the Golden Rule of radiation safety should prevail.

All reputable scientists agree: radon causes lung cancer. And virtually all agree with the National Academy of Sciences, who concluded that radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.

Some researchers believe that the EPA Action Level may be too strict, and (Wouldn’t you know it!) some say just the opposite. One 1999 laboratory study even discovered a new damage mechanism. [Details]

EPA has published a variety of equivalences between radon exposure and other risks. The one we think easiest to understand is this:

Breathing air with “N” picoCuries/liter of radon for one week gives your lungs the same radiation dose as “N” chest x-rays.
10 pCI/l = 10 x-rays/week = 520 x-rays per year.

Have A Question About Radon Treatment?

Sarah Worsham a year ago

Super quick and efficient service of installing a radon mitigation system in the house we were selling. The installers were very knowledgeable and explained the system and the information to pass on to the buyer's. Definitely would recommend.

By regulation, radon fans must be located outside of the conditioned space of the home.

The regulation stipulates that the exhaust must extend above the roofline. The idea is to keep the exhaust gas from coming back into the house or impinging on patios, walkways, play areas, etc. There are three basic requirements: The exhaust must be

(a) at least ten feet off the ground,
(b) above the eave (not necessarily the edge) of the roof, and
(c) either ten feet away from, or two feet above, windows.

As long as the system is running, the air exiting the pipe keeps rain and bugs out. The system exhaust must be vertical, and upward. The rest of the system is designed so that it pitches back down toward the suction point, so that any water in the system drains back into the soil. Caps and other diverters can cause freeze-up problems from condensation when it’s cold out. Did you know: radon systems can expel hundreds of gallons of water vapor each year?

PVC piping is the most suitable material for the job. Metal downspouts are not intended to be used for gas exhaust applications, and the joints cannot be permanently sealed (they require frequent re-sealing). Downspouts also tend to ice up in the winter, disabling the system just when you need it the most.

Our standard sump covers are transparent, so you can shine a flash light into the sump pit to verify that the sump is working.