The Ways Radon Can Impact Your Kids’ Health

Radon is harmful to all living things, especially children. Radon is a gas that results when radium buried deep within the earth breaks down. The gas rises through the soil until it reaches the surface, where it safely disperses. Unfortunately, when radon gas encounters a structure, say a house, it enters the building and remains there. Breathing in radon increases the risk of developing lung cancer and similar respiratory diseases.

Kids are still developing and have many years ahead of them. Increase their chances of a long and healthy life by helping them avoid radon poisoning. Here are the ways radon can impact your kids’ health and how to protect them.

Increased Risk of Lung Cancer

As mentioned, there’s a strong link between radon and lung cancer. In fact, right after smoking, radon poisoning is the second leading cause of lung cancer in smokers and the most common cause in nonsmokers. Children aren’t any more susceptible to radon-induced lung cancer than adults. However, since radon-induced lung cancer may develop in five to 25 years, you should take steps to protect your kids early on.

Respiratory Issues

Radon doesn’t cause asthma, allergies, or similar health issues, but a respiratory system already affected by these conditions may experience irritation or worsened symptoms after years of exposure. If anyone smokes in your home, that further raises the risk of lung cancer in children and other residents.

How To Protect Your Family

As scary as radon may sound, there are several ways to reduce your family’s exposure to it. Take the following steps to ensure radon isn’t an issue in your home.

Test for Radon

Step one: test your home. In particular, test your basement. You can find [easyazon_link identifier=”B00002N83E” locale=”US” tag=”chapbrea05-20″]home testing kits[/easyazon_link] at your local hardware store or online. After setting up and activating the kit in your basement or lower level, you send it to a lab for testing. The best way to test for radon is by hiring a professional technician to come and perform the test. That way, you know the test results are accurate. If there are high levels of radon in your basement, the technician will offer several ways to combat it.

Radon Mitigation

The means for radon mitigation are extremely simple. Hire a company to install an external or internal radon mitigation system. These systems divert any radon from the ground below your home through a series of pipes and fans, dispersing it safely into the air.

Author’s note: We recently had to install radon mitigation in our basement due to high levels, so this is an important topic to consider.

Periodic Monitoring

Even if you have a radon mitigation system installed, it still pays to conduct regular testing to ensure levels stay low.

Monitor Your Children’s Health

Unfortunately, there are no specific signs of radon poisoning in children. That’s why testing is so important. Still, there are symptoms that may indicate radon exposure in children to look out for, such as persistent coughing.

Naturally, this time can be stressful for the whole family. Be sure to prioritize your kid’s health and wellness during this time of uncertainty.

Those are some of the ways radon can impact your kids’ health. Keep them in mind and arrange for radon testing as soon as possible!