Happy National Doctor's Day!

SWAT Environmental is so pleased to celebrate this year’s National Doctor’s Day on March 30^th. We work day in and day out on helping homeowners live a radon-free life. Radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer, only falling short to smoking. Here at SWAT Environmental, we help homeowners mitigate this gas, so the air they breathe is safe and clean. However, sometimes homeowners get us involved when it’s already too late. This is where the doctors come in.

SWAT Environmental would like to thank the medical professionals for doing their very best in helping patients remain as healthy as possible. Lung cancer is a very dangerous illness, and doctors work every day to lower the threat to patients’ lives. By recommending radon testing on a regular basis, doctors will be able to reduce their patients’ risk of developing this fatal disease.

Thank you, doctors! Enjoy your special day!

National Animal Poison Prevention Week

Animals are known as a human's best friend. They bring joy and unconditional love every day. Their tails wag, they purr, and they chirp. A life with animals in it is a happy one, and days are never dull. At SWAT Environmental, we care about our furry friends just as much as a member of our family. This is why we are taking action during Animal Poison Prevention Week.

Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that comes from the soil. Radon gas is a threat to everyone, even your pets. They are more susceptible to the effects since they stand closer to the ground, and are normally in the contaminated house more than humans.

Radon gas is just as much of a threat to your furry little friends as it is to you. Radon gas enters the home through cracks in the pavement or the foundation. Radon gas frequents the low levels of the house, such as the basement or ground-level rooms. These are also places where your animals may like to hang out.

Test your home today to keep your beloved pets and animals safe from the dangers of Radon gas.

Read more here.

Radon Levels in Winter: A Potentially Harmful Scenario PT.2

As we mentioned in part one of this dual blog post, there are a lot of weather and seasonal related issues that occur with the colder weather. This last part of our blog post will focus on the air circulation that can have a negative effect involving radon gas. Read on to learn more.

Less Air Circulation

Closed conditions in the home throughout the winter may keep radon levels from diluting with fresh air. During the summer, a certain level of dilution may happen when the windows are opened to bring in fresh air. Throughout the winter, windows tend to be kept closed in order to prevent cold air from coming in and warmer air from escaping. This effect can trap radon in and allow its concentrations to build.

It’s important to have your home tested on a regular basis in order to identify if levels of radon are high. And if so, steps need to be taken to ensure radon mitigation takes place to keep you and your family safe and healthy. Remember that taking preventative measures to help your family, home, and/or business is key to preventing the negative effects of radon taking over. 

Radon Levels in Winter: A Potentially Harmful Scenario PT. 1

Winter is approaching, which can bring radon gas right along with it. Homes that are located in colder climates may experience heightened levels of radon gas, which can put residents at risk.

Here are some reasons why radon gas tends to be found in higher concentration in homes during the winter.

Stack Effect

Greater stack effect may draw higher levels of radon gas into the home. In the winter, what’s known as the “stack effect” may be higher as the warmer air indoors rises and escapes to the cooler air outdoors. When this air escapes, the home must replace the air to equalize pressure.

A lot of homes get new air through drafty windows and doors. Homes may also get new air from the soil that they are constructed on. Air from the soil can be drawn in through cracks in the concrete, sump pump pits, plumbing pipe penetrations, floor drains, crawlspaces, and other areas that are in contact with the soil. This new air may contain radon gas.

Higher Concentrations

Higher concentrations of radon gas may enter the house during the winter season. Even though radon enters homes from the soil beneath, more radon gas escapes through the soil surrounding the home and dilutes into the air outdoors.

In the winter, the ground in yards may freeze and be covered in snow, creating a blanket effect that can trap radon gas in the soil surrounding the structure. With less amount of radon in the soil being able to escape normally, your home may be drawing in greater concentrations of the gas.

Radon Mitigation Techniques to Rid Your Home of This Dangerous Gas!

Regardless of the type of home or building, radon mitigation typically produces excellent results. The ideal solution is to stop radon in its tracks before dangerous levels are allowed to build in your home, endangering you and your family’s long-term health.

Here are the various methods of commercial radon mitigation if high levels of the gas are found in a building or home.

Suction

Sub-Slab Depressurization which basically reroutes the air under the foundation to outside the home before getting in through the cracks, crevices and porous foundation material.

Ventilation

This method can sometimes reduce indoor radon levels in crawl spaces by lowering the home's suction on the soil, as well as diluting the gas under the house. While passive ventilation is done by opening vents, active ventilation makes use of a fan to blow air throughout the area. This method is often used with sub-membrane depressurization to make it more effective.

Sealing

Any openings or cracks in the foundation are sealed as a basic step in radon mitigation. By sealing these areas, radon flow will be inhibited. This is used as a temporary method to reduce radon flow while other mitigation techniques are utilized.

Pressurization

This method makes use of a fan to blow air into the home’s lower level, which creates enough pressure to inhibit radon from entering the home. To maintain enough pressure doors and windows which are located at the lowest level of the home cannot not be left open.

Heat Recovery Ventilator

This method is used to boost ventilation in a home by introducing outdoor air utilizing heated or cooled exhausted air to warm or cool the air coming in.

The type of method chosen will depend on a number of factors, and after the contractor has had a chance to conduct a thorough walkthrough of the home.

What to Know About Radon in the Home

Many home owners like to have their home tested for radon, as radon can cause harm to humans if present in large amounts. The good news is that testing for radon in homes is not difficult. Just follow these steps:

Select a Good Radon Test Kit

There are many radon testing kits out there, but you need to ensure that the one you buy is going to provide accurate results. The best way to choose is to read consumer reviews of the product that you may buy. This ensures that you will get good, accurate test results.

Do Radon Testing at Right Time

Many people do not know that there are good and bad times to do radon testing. The best time to do the test is between October and April. This is when, in most parts of the U.S., when windows and doors are closed the most and will provide accurate results.

Do Longer Tests

There are both short-term and long-term radon tests. A longer test takes 90 days, and a shorter one takes two to seven days. Most choose the short-term test, but it is better to do the long term test to get the most accurate results. There are firms that can help you do radon removal, once you have your results.

Test at the Right Level of the Home

You need to do the test at the lowest level that the house is lived in. Radon can seep into a house through floor board cracks, so this is probably where the most radon will be. If you test upstairs, you may not get an accurate reading.

Know What to Do With Results

Testing is key, but you need to know what to do with the data. No level of radon in the house is safe, but a lower reading, which is under 100 Bq/m3, is something usually to monitor. If it is over 200, you do need to take action fast. 

What is the Danger of Radon Gas in the Home?

Most people know that the sun’s rays have radiation and it can damage both the skin and eyes. However, many do not realize that the earth itself also gives off radiation. This radiation can seep into the house and become an air hazard in your home. This type of radiation is known as radon gas.

Radon gas comes from the breakdown over time of uranium in the rocks and soil around the house. Radon is found all through the environment. Yet, when it is concentrated in high levels in the air inside a house or building, it can cause cancer. Specifically, radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer for smokers. It also is the top cause of lung cancer for non-smokers. Overall, radon gas kills about 21,000 people per year via lung cancer. This is even more than drunken driving deaths.

A big problem with radon is that it is invisible and cannot be smelled. It can show up in any type of house — old or new — and it can appear in houses with a basement or a slab foundation.

The EPA estimates that one out of 15 homes in the U.S. have high radon levels, or about 8 million houses.

Radon gas is usually one of the leading environmental concerns that the federal government deals with, and is the top environmental reason for cancer. This is the reason that the U.S. Surgeon General recommends radon testing for all homes. Radon gas is indeed dangerous, and you should follow the advice of the surgeon general.

The EPA has established an action level, at which you should deal with the radon level in your house. The action level is 4 picoCuries per liter of air. However, know that amounts lower than this may not be safe, either. The WHO states that levels higher than 2.7 picoCuries is dangerous.