Should You Test Your Loved One's Home For Radon?

If your elderly or disabled loved one is constantly feeling unwell, test their home for radon. The radioactive gas radon can lurk inside your loved one's crawl space or basement for many years. If your loved one inhales radon, they may become ill over time. Learn why it's important to test your loved one's home for radon below.

Can Radon Cause Health Issues?

Radioactive substances like radon can cause illnesses in young and old adults. Individuals exposed to radon may exhibit breathing problems, headaches, and other symptoms. The symptoms may become worse if the radon levels are high in the home.

Radon may also cause or lead to cancer of the lungs. Along with smoking, radon is one of the leading causes of lung cancer in adults of all ages.

If your loved one didn't have any issues with their breathing or lungs until they moved into their home, test their home for radon today.

Can You Test the Home Yourself?

While it may be possible for you or someone close to you to test your loved one's home for radon, you want to have a professional radon tester do it for you. Radon can exist inside and outside the home. The gas can hide in water, soil, and paint. If you don't check every possible place around your loved one's home for radon, you may obtain inaccurate results from your test. 

A tester can retrieve soil and dust samples from various places around your loved one's home and test them for radon. If a tester suspects radon in your loved one's water supply, they may be able to test the home's water as well.

If your loved one's home contains small quantities of radon, a tester may recommend you have the home tested at a later date. The radon levels may not be higher enough to detect right now.

If the radon levels in your loved one's home are exceptionally high, go ahead and mitigate the problem. Mitigation treatments, such as sealing the crawl space or basement, can help eliminate most of the problem.

It may also be necessary to install water filters on the faucets and sinks. A number of filters on the market remove radon from water. You may want to ask a tester for assistance in finding the right type of water filter for your loved one's home.

If you need to test your loved one's home for radon, contact a radon testing agent today.