Uranium mining foes use scare tactics, pseudoscience | Richmond Times-Dispatch

Sadly, what also gets lost in the rhetoric in these situations is the settled science and known health hazards cause by exposure to Uranium. Whether they mine that area or not, indoor radon levels in many homes and businesses in that area are more than likely above the

EPA action level. Testing is the only way to know for sure.


Uranium mining foes use scare tactics, pseudoscience Richmond Times-Dispatch

Dr. Oz Show: Lung Cancer Is Deadly and Test Your Home for Radon TODAY

Today on the Dr. Oz Show, we learned about Lung Cancer and how Radon in your home is a leading cause of it in non-smokers.


Dr. Oz says that lung cancer kills more than breast, colon and pancreatic cancers combined. If you know the warning signs and catch it early, you can survive. Last year in the US, over 220,000 patients were diagnosed with lung cancer, and nearly 160,000 people died of it. Most cases are caused by smoking, but you don’t have to smoke to get lung cancer.

Dr. Oz’s guests today were Dr. Otis Brawley, the Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society and Regina Vidaver, the Executive Director of the National Lung Cancer Partnership.

The warning signs of lung cancer are first and foremost, a cough that doesn’t go away. After multiple rounds of antibiotics, if your cough has still not gone away, or if you’ve have a cough for more than a month, you need to see a doctor. If you’re coughing up blood, you need to see a doctor. And the last warning sign is pain in the chest, neck or shoulder.

Besides smoking, Vidaver says that ex-smokers are still at risk. Other risk factors are exposure to second-hand smoke, radon and then your genetics can predispose you to it as well. 20,000 people every year get diagnosed with lung cancer that never smoked.

The number one cancer risk in your home is radon. Rebecca Morley, the Executive Director of the National Center for Healthy Living says that when radon gets trapped in your home, it can become a problem as it is a Class-A carcinogen. One in 15 homes have radon in them! Everybody needs to get a test from the hardware store and check your home. The EPA acceptable Radon level is 4.0 pCi/L, but Morley said the World Health Organization set it at 2.7. If you have test results that are higher than acceptable levels, you need to have a company come in and do mitigation that removes the radon from your house and sends it out via a pipe in the roof.

Radon Mitigation System Service

END OF SUMMER SPECIAL - ONLY $75

Radon Mitigation System Check-Up

OFFER ENDS SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

Radon Controls is offering a special reduced rate (regularly $90) for our in-home system check of your existing radon mitigation system. Our service includes an inspection of your mechanical device and the air handling system components. We will ensure your system is functioning properly and that all components meet the current standards for the radon mitigation industry.

Modifications to your home may affect the performance of your radon mitigation system. A service check is highly recommended if you have had any of these things done to your home since your radon mitigation system was installed:

· Added on to the existing structure

· Changed or moved your heating /AC unit(s)

· Had the heating/AC system serviced

· Work done inside your crawl space

· Finished or remodeled your basement

Homes with 2 or more foundation types (basement, crawl space, concrete slab) may have elevated radon levels in some portions of the home even when a radon mitigation system has been installed. This could occur if limited testing was done prior to installing the radon mitigation system therefore steering the design of the system to treat only one of the foundation areas of the home, leaving one or more sources of radon entry untreated.

ASTM standards have changed. Be advised the material used for your system exhaust may not meet the current specifications. In the past, aluminum and vinyl downspout was occasionally used. This material can emit radon at the joints and often the improper sizing of these products puts significant backpressure on the fan reducing the life of the motor. Our service check can identify and offer to correct any deficiency in your system to ensure optimal performance per the current standards of the radon mitigation industry. (Most exhaust can be upgraded for $125.00)

Remember to keep you and your family safe, the EPA recommends you test your home for radon at least every 2 years even if you have a radon mitigation system currently installed. This will ensure your radon mitigation system is working properly. (Testing as low as $25.00)

If you would like to schedule a check up of your radon mitigation system or if we can answer any questions you may have, please give us a call.

CALL TODAY TO SET YOUR APPOINTMENT:

804-730-8220 Office

804-317-7094 or cjohnson@geoenvironmental.net

WEBSITE: http://geoenvironmental.net

BLOG: http://radoncontrols.blogspot.com/

Testing for radon is the key...

Testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk from radon. EPA and the Surgeon General recommend testing all homes below the third floor for radon. EPA also recommends testing in schools.
Testing is inexpensive and easy — it should only take a few minutes of your time. Millions of Americans have already tested their homes for radon.

SHORT-TERM TESTING:
The quickest way to test is with short-term tests. Short-term tests remain in your home for two days to 90 days, depending on the device. "Charcoal canisters," "alpha track," "electret ion chamber," "continuous monitors," and "charcoal liquid scintillation" detectors are most commonly used for short-term testing. Because radon levels tend to vary from day to day and season to season, a short-term test is less likely than a long-term test to tell you your year-round average radon level. If you need results quickly, however, a short-term test followed by a second short-term test may be used to decide whether to fix your home

LONG-TERM TESTING:
Long-term tests remain in your home for more than 90 days. "Alpha track" and "electret" detectors are commonly used for this type of testing. A long-term test will give you a reading that is more likely to tell you your home's year-round average radon level than a short-term test.

Bottom line... testing your home for radon is easy and inexpensive. There are DIY kits available at most hardware stores. Also, there are certified radon testing companies that can handle the testing for you.

Information on this post was taken from the EPA. http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html#overview