Does radon spread throughout the house?

Does radon spread throughout the house?

Radon can enter your home through cracks and holes in the foundation, through well water, and via building materials, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says. It’s common: About 1 in every 15 homes has what’s considered an elevated radon level.

Where does radon seep through indoors?

Most radon exposure occurs inside homes, schools and workplaces. Radon gas becomes trapped indoors after it enters buildings through cracks and other holes in the foundation. Indoor radon can be controlled and managed with proven, cost-effective techniques. Breathing radon over time increases your risk of lung cancer.

Does radon travel up?

The air pressure inside homes is slightly lower than in the ground (typically 0.7-1.4 psi vacuum), which draws in radon gas from several feet away. The warm air inside buildings moves naturally upwards and this “stack effect” reduces air pressure in the basement or crawlspace.

Can radon pass through wood?

Having a cement floor in the basement can reduce radon gas infiltration but only to the degree that the floor is solid, nonporous and crack-free. Natural building materials such as wallboard, concrete and even wood are “emitters”. One large contributor to radon gas in some geographical areas is the water supply.

Can radon pass through drywall?

Radon may also be dissolved in water, particularly well water. The more radon there is in the water, the more it can contribute to the indoor radon level. Trace amounts of uranium are sometimes incorporated into materials used in construction. These include, but are not limited to concrete, brick, granite, and drywall.

Can radon go through walls?

Yes, radon can move through a concrete slab, through block and concrete walls or any other building material in the home. If you have a radon source under the slab, you could have an elevated radon level in the home.

Does radon gas rise or sink?

Radon and other gases rise through the soil and get trapped under the building. The trapped gases build up pressure. Air pressure inside homes is usually lower than the pressure in the soil.

Does dehumidifier reduce radon?

No, buying a dehumidifier will not make radon go away. Radon must be removed by a remediation method like active soil depressurization (ASD), which ironically has been shown to be even more effective at removing humidity from a home than a dehumidifier in the same EPA study.