What You Need to Know About Radon vs.Other Air Pollutants
Posted in Radon Testing, on October 10, 2024
Radon testing is getting a lot of attention from municipalities and home air quality testing companies like SafeAir — and for good reasons. But how does it differ from other indoor air pollutants, and why should you test your home? In today’s article, our team will answer these questions and more about radon gas so that you can make informed decisions about the health and safety of your family home.
What Is Indoor Air Pollution?
We’re all familiar with outdoor air pollution, the kind that causes smog days or a greyish haze over cities. It’s generally caused by vehicle traffic, industrial activity from factories, combustion, or natural effects like forest fires. The dangers of outdoor pollution are well documented, so when the air quality rating is low, we know to stay indoors or reduce our outdoor activity. But what if staying indoors didn’t protect you either?
Indoor air pollution often can’t be seen. There frequently isn’t a haze, smoke, residue, or smell to alert us to unsafe indoor air quality that can affect our health just as much, if not more, than outdoor air pollution. Air quality testing and inspection is SafeAir’s primary concern; by analyzing your indoor environment, we can identify and help you eliminate pollution that may cause subtle but disruptive effects on your health and wellness.
What is Radon?
Radon gas is a common indoor air quality pollutant across Ontario. It’s a naturally occurring byproduct of uranium buried deep in the earth’s surface that can become trapped in our homes. Radon is colourless, odourless, and invisible — because it cannot be sensed with the eyes, nose, ears or with touch, the only way to know if you’re affected is to have radon testing performed.
What Effects Do Air Pollutants Cause?
Many of the common air pollutants cause health effects that are unremarkable or easy to dismiss. Sneezing and congestion? Well, that could just be a cold. Poor sleep and dry skin? Perhaps that’s just stress. These effects may be transient or long-term, but for many people, they’re subtle enough to dismiss or write off as ‘just life.’
The chronic and long-term effects of exposure to indoor air pollution, however, can be devastating. Beyond the everyday irritation of coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, and headaches (to name just a few effects), several types of indoor air pollution can increase your risk of chronic and dangerous health conditions. For example, there is compelling evidence linking mold exposure to the development of asthma, which should be of particular concern to young families. Air pollution can also weaken the immune system — when it’s constantly trying to fight off irritants, your system may not be primed for when the big things arrive.
What Effects Does Radon Cause
Unlike mold, which causes recognizable effects like headaches and sneezing, radon gas is nearly impossible to detect by symptoms until it’s too late. Long-term exposure to radon gas causes cellular changes in the lungs and respiratory system that lead to cancer — radon gas is, in fact, the second leading cause of cancer in Canada after cigarette smoking.
Test For Radon Gas Today
Radon Testing from SafeAir
At SafeAir, we offer radon testing as a stand-alone service or as part of more generalized home air quality testing. Radon tests are non-invasive and quiet and involve a small device installed in the lower levels of your home. Unlike regular air quality testing (which can generally be done over a few hours), a long testing period is essential to obtaining accurate radon readings. Once the testing period is complete, we’ll return to deinstall the device and have it analyzed by a lab.
If your home has radon levels above the safety guidelines recommended by Health Canada, SafeAir can recommend mitigation strategies to reduce or eliminate it from your home. Safety comes first — don’t wait to test for radon until it’s too late! Call SafeAir to book radon testing today.