Like a moment frozen in time, the radon rises from its source below the city. Silent, invisible and discreet, it enters your home without you even knowing it. With each breath of air it creeps into the chambers of your bronchiole and releases its radiation. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, slowly the alpha particles of its progeny damage DNA further increasing the chances of its cancerous outcome. Are you breathing it right now????

As you research radon gas, you may be asking yourself the questions; “how would a radon mitigation contractor fix their own house?” or “how would a radon measurement provider test their own house?” These are great questions to ask because a radon professional who has been dealing with measurement and ventilation of radon gas in all types of situations would probably deal with it using the best methods and industry secrets for their own homes. For the purposes of this article, I will put myself out there. I will tell you some of the ways I would deal with radon if, your home was my home.

You slept 7-9 hours last night as recommended by the National Sleep Foundation. You brushed your teeth first thing as recommended by the ADA to help prevent gum disease and cavities. You rinsed your mouth and finished your first full glass of water which was one of the eight recommended glasses by the Mayo Clinic. You put on your pedometer, your favorite workout clothes and head to the treadmill to begin the first of your 10,000 step per day goal as recommended in the latest issue of your health magazine. You finish up, go to the kitchen and blend yourself a nourishing protein shake as recommended by your nutritionist.  The shake includes bananas for potassium, strawberries & blueberries for antioxidants, orange juice for vitamin c and some kale which seems to be recommended for everything else. You sit down with your shake log in to your tablet to play some brain games to sharpen your mental focus as recommended by your boss. While on your tablet, a small article pops up in your news feed talking about radon gas, the second leading cause of lung cancer. You read that radon levels in homes should be as low as possible as recommended by the United States EPA. Suddenly you remember the recommendation that you forgot about…. That time when you bought your house and the Realtor recommended that you do a radon test. The sweat starts pouring down your forehead but doesn’t make it to your eyes because you are still wearing that sweatband that your fitness coach recommended. You wonder how you will sleep tonight with the additional, unrecommended stress that's now upon you. Stop, take a deep breath (hopefully not including radon gas) because here are several radon recommendations to prevent any radon related sleep deprivations.

 I am not a big fan of the cold weather it reminds me of the winter days working outdoors, installing radon mitigation systems in Chicago years ago. I will never forget the infamous winter of “Chiberia.”  But also, as I now reside in Salt Lake City, I do love to see the beautiful sight of some fresh Utah ski powder, except for when it’s time to shovel the driveway. Luckily, this winter I scored a snowblower from my father. Now some people are connoisseurs of food, or fine wine; my father on the other hand, he is a connoisseur of snowblowers! At any given point in time, he may have 3-5 of these machines in his garage ready to battle the forces of nature in his suburban tundra.  In the heat of the summer, you may find him at your yard sale ready to purchase the next in his collection. Whether it’s a 2 stage, 3 stage, 4 stroke, or electric, my dad likes them all. When he generously gifted me one out of his collection the other night, he meticulously showed me how to close the choke, prime the bulb, and fire up the engine. He showed me how to engage the auger, and cut a perfectly straight line down the driveway. As I loaded it in my truck and was about to pull away, he reminded me not to forget how to mix the oil and gas for the two stroke engine.

I woke up this morning to a fresh blanket of snow. I got dressed and prepped the new toy to take care of the driveway. As I mixed the 50:1 ratio of oil and gas, I couldn't help but divert my attention again to another gas, like I always do, I start thinking about radon gas. I thought to myself; it’s time to write another article about how the cold weather has an impact on radon gas.

The search is over, you finally found your dream home. The neighborhood is great, the schools are some of the best around and the price is right in your budget. You and your real estate agent make an offer and wait patiently. Soon after a few negotiations, they accept your offer! You are on your way to being the owner of this home. It's time for the home inspection and your inspector is also a radon measurement professional. You've heard about the dangers of it, so you spend the extra money to have a test done. A few days pass and the results are in. The radon test failed! Suddenly your dream home doesn't look so dreamy.

Don't panic if the radon test fails!  

10 things you should know about buying a home with radon

Do you exercise in your basement? I do. I have been using a video workout series for the past 90 days. I have to keep in top radon technician shape. While working out in my basement every morning, I can’t help but to think of radon gas while I breathe heavily. I wonder how many people who exercise in their basements are being counterproductive to their health by exposing themselves to dangerous levels of radon?