What You Need To Know About HEPA Filter, Can It Be Used For Radon Removal?

In the home, dangerous gas concentrations have a serious negative impact on health. Most people should not disregard radon, an indoor inert gas that is quite prevalent. Because of this, the majority of households will shell out cash for a costly filter in order to remove viruses or dangerous gases. We looked into how well they eliminate the dangerous radon from the air.

High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters can effectively filter out large quantities of airborne particles like mold spores, bacteria, and viruses. They are unable to get rid of radon, though.

Read on as we explain radon gas and examine if HEPA and activated carbon can aid in its removal. Additionally, we’ll discuss ways to lower, find, or test the radon gas level in your house. include the signs and symptoms of radon poisoning.

Radon Gas: What Is It?

A radioactive gas called radon can be found in nature. Thorium, uranium, and radium decay in rock, soil, and water to produce it. Although radon cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted, your home may contain harmful levels of it.

From the earth, radon is released into the atmosphere, where it decays and creates further radioactive particles.

As we breathe, these particles are deposited on the cells lining our airways, where they have the potential to harm DNA and may result in lung cancer.

Do HEPA Filters Aid in Radon Air Elimination?

A HEPA filter can only remove particles from the air; it cannot remove gas from the air.

By removing the particulates that the radon progeny are bonded to, a HEPA filter can aid in lowering the amount of radon progeny in the air.

Radon offspring will continue to be formed in the surrounding air because it has no impact on the radon gas concentration.

This is challenging because once radon enters a residence, it can get trapped and build up in higher concentrations.

As a result, the two best techniques to minimize radon levels in a home are good ventilation and air sealing.

Is Radon Removed From the Air by Activated Carbon?

Chemical contaminants in the air can be effectively absorbed by activated carbon. Although it won’t fully eradicate radon levels, it can lower them.

Because they have a little electro-positive charge, activated carbon and charcoal draw in substances and particles that have a negative charge. Activated carbon mostly eliminates radon and other pollutants by absorption and catalytic reduction.

How Can Radon Enter Your House?

Radon gas enters a home via a mechanism akin to suction.

The air pressure within your house is often lower than the earth pressure surrounding and beneath the foundation of your home.

Radon is drawn from the earth and carried upward into the living space through foundation cracks and gaps by the pressure differential, which serves as a vacuum.

Your house is trapped with the gas, which can build up to dangerously high levels.

What Are Methods for Reducing Radon?

epending on the sort of home you have, there are many efficient ways to reduce radon levels there. The following is a list of the most popular techniques:

Install a Radon Sump Active

The most practical and popular way to reduce radon migration into your home is to install an active radon sump.

Before bringing radon-rich air into your home, a straightforward electric fan in the pipeline extracts it from beneath the floor slab and vents it to the outside.

Putting In A Passive Sump
Radon levels can be lowered with a passive sump. A sump system that does not require the use of a fan is called a passive sump. Instead, the sump system uses wind movement over the top of the sump pipe to drive radon upward.

Indoor air circulation
One of the most straightforward ways to reduce moderate radon levels is to install wall vents or window trickle vents. This may aid in bringing down the radon levels in your house.

Only the ground floor should have increased ventilation since ventilation on the upper levels may encourage radon migration from the ground into your home.

Basement ventilation
If your home has a suspended floor, increase sub-floor ventilation to reduce radon levels.

The airflow beneath the floor will be improved and the amount of radon entering your home will decrease by replacing or clearing out old subfloor vents and installing new vents or airbricks. A fan can be installed if greater subfloor ventilation is needed.

How Can You Test Your Home For Radon Gas?

The lowest habitable and frequently used area of your home is where you should do the test. An expert inspector will assess the rest of your home for issue spots where radon can leak in and will know just where to put the radon detector for the best results.

Regular Radon Tests
Utilizing tools that track radon levels over time, continuous radon tests are carried out. This appliance will be plugged into a standard electrical outlet.

The device will monitor radon levels for 48 hours while reducing or eliminating interference or “measurement noise,” which can result in inaccurate readings. The inspector retrieves the gadget after 48 hours, and using the data collected by this sophisticated device, they create a report.

Kit for Quick Radon Testing
Home radon test kits could seem like an easy substitute, but they are not as accurate as radon testing performed by a professional.

Most measure radon levels for 2 to 7 days using activated charcoal or electret ions. The tests are sent to a lab for evaluation. Hardware shops, home improvement stores, and online vendors all sell short-term testing.

Tests for Radon Over Time
Data collection for long-term testing lasts 90 days to a year. The tracking of alpha particles is the foundation for these tests.

This represents a more accurate representation of the usual annual levels in your home, which can vary greatly from day to day and month to month due to elements that trap radon gases, such as low air pressure, high winds, snow cover, and fluctuating soil moisture.

Signs of Radon You Should Never Ignore

Invisible, tasteless, and odorless describe radon gas. There are no obvious signs, even if you are breathing in a lot of radon.

Instead, long-term radon exposure increases your risk of developing lung cancer; hence, these symptoms are frequently referred to as radon poisoning symptoms. You have a significantly bigger danger if you smoke.

Breathing Difficulties
Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the general population and the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers.

It should not be surprising that respiratory problems are among the signs of radon exposure. If you were previously resistant to bronchitis or pneumonia, this may manifest as recurrent cases of those illnesses.

The severity of your symptoms will increase with your radon exposure.

Muscle Mass Loss
Other sections of your body can be affected by radon in addition to your respiratory system.

Loss of muscle mass is another sign of radon exposure that is common. You could notice that once straightforward tasks are now become more difficult. Additionally, simple activities like walking will make you feel exhausted.

Two further indicators of a decline in muscle mass are weight loss and anemia.

Rough Voice
Your voice might sound different if you’ve been exposed to radon. Your voice can start to sound harsh or hoarse.

Typically, those who smoke heavily or who have a medical condition at the root of their smoking experience experience this.

Consult your doctor and set up a radon test in your home if you notice that your voice is getting more raspy than usual and it does not go away.

Chest Ache
You are aware that breathing issues can result from radon exposure. You might even become aware of your ongoing chest discomfort.

Do not ignore chest pain. Go to the doctor if you experience this symptom.

Radon exposure is typically difficult to detect. Until you’ve been exposed for a long time, you might not even be aware that you’ve been exposed. A professional inspection of your home is imperative, especially if you live on a lower floor or have a basement.

Conclusion

Regarding indoor air quality and your health, radon is a common cause for concern. It is also challenging to both detect and eradicate this. Therefore, conduct routine radon tests on your home to ensure that it is free of any dangerous gases.