How harmful is radon in your home?

My daughters home tested positive to randon in her basement. They have a new baby and it worries me.

The Radon Problem


You can't see radon. And you can't smell or taste it, but it
may very well be a problem in your home. It is estimated to
cause many thousands of deaths each year. Radon is a cancer-
causing, radioactive gas, and when you breathe air containing
the gas, you can get lung cancer. In fact, radon has now been
declared the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United
States today. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths.
If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of
lung cancer is especially high.

Radon can be found all over the United States. It comes from
the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water and gets
in to the air you breathe. Radon can get into any type of
building, homes, offices, and schools and build up to high levels.
But you and your family are most likely to get your greatest
exposure in your home because that is where you spend most of
your time.

Testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at
risk form radon. The Environmental Protection Agency along with
the Surgeon General recommend testing all homes below the third
floor for radon. It is inexpensive and easy to do the testing
and it only takes a few minutes of your time. Millions of
Americans have already had their homes tested. Radon from soil
gas is the main cause of radon problems although it can also
enter the home through well water. And in a small number of
homes, certain kinds of building materials may give off the gas,
too. However, the building materials rarely cause the problem
by themselves.

It have now been determined that nearly 1 out of every 15 homes
in the U.S. is estimated to have elevated radon levels. Elevated
levels of radon gas have been found in every state including
homes in your state.

The public has only recently started showing interest in this
deadly, cancer-causing gas. Contact your state radon office for
general information about radon in your area. While radon
problems may be more common in some areas, any home may have a
problem. Home buyers and renters are now asking about radon
levels before they buy or rent a home.

While radon in water is not a problem in homes served by most
public water supplies, it has been found in some well water.
If you've tested the air in your home and found a radon problem,
and your water comes from a well, contact a lab certified to
measure radiation in water to have your water tested. If you're
on a public water supply and are concerned that radon may be
entering your home through the water, call your public water works.

Since there is no known safe level of radon, there can always be
some risk. But the risk can be reduced by lowering the radon
level in your home. A variety of methods may be used to reduce
radon in one's home. In some cases, sealing cracks in floors and
walls may help to reduce radon. In other cases, simple systems
using pipes and fans may be used to reduce the gas. Because major
renovations can change the level of radon in any home, always test
again after you have any work done. There are reliable test kits
available through the mail, in hardware stores and certain other
retail outlets.

Like other environmental pollutants, there is some uncertainty
about the magnitude of radon health risks. However, more is known
about the risks of radon than from most other cancer-causing
substances. This is because estimates of radon risks are based on
studies of cancer in humans such as underground miners.

I've always heard very bad things about radon. You should do a search in yahoo for radon, and see the risks. If she's smart, she'll get out of that house and find a new place to live!!

It's your duty as a mother, and a dignified human being, to encourage her to find a new house!