Radon & Mold Professionals
Naples: (239) 498-4619
Ft. Myers: (239) 948-9717
Orlando: (407) 265-6653
Toll
free: (800) 881-3837
Fax: (239)
949-5948
Radon is a gas produced by the radioactive decay of the element radium and
has a half-life of 3.8 days. Because it is a gas, Radon can more easily leave the rocks and soils by escaping into fractures
and openings in rocks and into the pore spaces between grains of soil. The soil's permeability controls the amount and
rate at which Radon is able to enter a structure. The three factors that determine a soil's permeability are: the amount
of water present in the pore space, the percentage of pore space in the soil and the interconnectedness of those pore spaces.
Coarse sand and gravel therefore allow for a greater amount of Radon to move through it as opposed to more permeable soils
like clay. The more readily Radon can pass through the soil, the greater opportunity it has to collect inside a building.
In
the United States, Radon is second only to cigarette smoking in causing lung cancer. Radon is oderless and
colorless and therefore unrecognizable when present.
According to the Florida Department of Health: "In some areas of Florida, one out
of two homes has excessive amounts of radon."
Although
radon gas is a serious health threat to all of us, too often, it is ignored and or misunderstood.
"The state of Florida has a mandatory radon testing program for public
facilities in the majority of counties in Florida. These public facilities include public and private schools, state
licensed day care centers, and 24 hour care facilities such as nursing homes and hospitals." FL DOH
Interestingly however,
Collier and Lee Counties do not fall under this mandatory testing. This is a concern as the Florida Department of Health
shows that 1 in 4 residential dwellings in Lee and Collier counties have radon levels above the established limit considered
safe.
Here is a listing of
Florida certified radon businesses.
For an in-depth look at radon, the United Staes Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) has extensive information
available for the general public: www.epa.gov