The reason that radon levels in the home can be higher in the summer and winter is two-fold. During the winter, the air in your home tends to be much warmer than the outside air, and this temperature difference creates a vacuum within your home. ... In the summer, our HVAC systems are working hard to keep our homes cool.

Is radon gas worse in summer or winter?

To answer that question, yes, radon levels in a home tend to be higher during the winter. And those higher levels of radon gas can lead to an increased chance of lung cancer. While indoor radon gas levels are generally higher during winter, sometimes the summer can have higher indoor radon levels.

How much higher are radon levels in the winter?

Radon levels can vary by season, with the highest levels typically occurring during the months that we heat our homes. That means that even if your home's radon was below the EPA's suggested action level of 4.0 picocuries per liter of air during the warmer months, it could be above that level during the winter.

Is radon worse in the summer?

LEVELS of radon gas in the soil may be as much as 10 times higher in the summer than in the winter, when most testing for the cancer-causing gas is done, a Pennsylvania State University study has found. ... The tests are normally conducted in the winter when indoor levels are believed to be highest.

Are radon levels lower in summer?

Data shows that radon is increasingly even across seasons, and in ¼ of homes can even be at its highest during summer periods. ... The reasons for this are still emerging, but one hypothesis is increased use of air conditioning in summer and, as a result, the decreased ventilation of properties in the warmer summer months.

What Time Of Year Are Radon Levels Highest?

Does opening window help with radon?

Opening windows improves air circulation and ventilation, helping move radon out of the house and mixing radon-free outside air with indoor air. Make sure all your basement windows are open. ... Opening basement windows helps reduce negative air pressure, diluting radon with clean outdoor air.

Do air purifiers help with radon?

Yes, air purifiers help with radon gas reduction to some extent. The air purifiers with activated carbon filter technology are highly effective in trapping radon gas.

How do you reduce radon levels in a basement?

In some cases, radon levels can be lowered by ventilating the crawlspace passively, or actively, with the use of a fan. Crawlspace ventilation may lower indoor radon levels both by reducing the home's suction on the soil and by diluting the radon beneath the home.

Are radon levels higher in the basement?

Also, once the windows, doors, or vents are closed, the radon concentration returns to the previous level within hours according to EPA studies. FACT: Its concentration is usually the highest in basements, simply because it emanates out of the soil through the basement.

How quickly can radon affect you?

If a person has been exposed to radon, 75% of the radon progeny in the lungs will become harmless lead particles after 44 years. When a particle damages a cell to make it cancerous, the onset of lung cancer takes at least five years, but often takes 15 to 25 years and even longer.

Does a dehumidifier help with 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.

Does radon get worse over time?

Radon levels are constantly changing – hourly, daily, and seasonal fluctuations are all common. ... Likewise, radon flows faster when there is a bigger difference in pressure between the high pressure soil and the low pressure air.

Does running furnace affect radon test?

Winter is a good time to test for radon because you are, in-most cases, measuring the worst case scenario for your home. With the hatches battened down and the furnace running, you are creating a scenario that can cause radon levels to be higher.

Can radon be on second floor?

Please understand that the radon level can be significantly higher on an upper floor. Even if the radon level is lower on the first floor than say a basement radon level, it could be higher on the second floor. The only way to know is if you test.

Where are radon levels highest in a house?

Radon levels are usually highest in the basement or crawl space. When someone breathes in radon gas, it goes into their lungs, exposing them to small amounts of radiation. This may damage the cells in the lining of the lungs and increase a person's risk of lung cancer.

Does rain make radon worse?

With rain comes pressure changes in the atmosphere and increased density in the soil, creating a change for expanding natural gasses. ... Increased soil moisture (especially in spring following snowmelt) increases radon concentration by 10-20%.

Does radon permeate concrete?

Radon, soil gasses, and water vapor will easily pass through any openings, cracks, gaps, drains, or thin concrete (rat slabs) in the basement.

Do walk out basements have less radon?

While we've found that radon levels in homes with walkout basements tend to generally be lower, this is certainly no guarantee that the radon levels will be low. The highest radon level we've found at a home with a walkout basement was nearly four times higher than the EPA action level.

Do all basements have radon gas?

Most commonly homes with basements are suspect for having higher radon levels. The fact that porous foundation walls allow radon gas to enter a home is no secret and with most basements containing a sump well, there are many access points from which radon can enter a home.

Is it OK to live in a house with radon?

The EPA states, “Radon is a health hazard with a simple solution.” Once radon reduction measures are in place, home buyers need not worry about the quality of the air in the home. ... Since removing radon is relatively simple, your family will be safe in a home with a radon reduction system in place.

Does carpet block radon?

Sheetrock, wallpaper, plaster, or even polyethylene sheets do not stop radon. Covering floors with carpeting or linoleum does not work either. Remember that even several inches of concrete cannot stop radon.

Does sealing a basement floor reduce radon?

Sealing the basement floor can help reduce the amount of radon entering the home. But just sealing the cracks would be unlikely to reduce those amounts in the long term. Sealing all cracks and applying non-porous, thick epoxy coatings (over 10 MILS dry film thickness) would be a better step.

Which state has the most radon?

has the highest radon levels of 10.7 pCi/L. Homeowners in Alaska are encouraged to test for radon every two years.
...
Here are the 10 states with the highest Radon levels:

• Alaska (10.7)
• South Dakota (9.6)
• Pennsylvania (8.6)
• Ohio (7.8)
• Washington (7.5)
• Montana (7.4)
• Kentucky (7.4)
• Idaho (7.3)

Does activated charcoal remove radon?

To date, no chemicals are known to remove radon from air; and activated carbon is no exception. However, while ineffective from removing radon directly from the air, activated carbon has been shown to reduce radon by more than 90% from treated drinking water.

Can radon affect dogs?

The Effects of Radon Gas on Dogs

There are heavy radioactive byproducts associated with radon gas, such as polonium, lead, and bismuth. These byproducts are present in the air, and the levels can build up over time. ... Your dog can end up with a malignant tumor, skin masses, and epidermal carcinomas.