Hey! You know how radon gas is a sneaky little bugger?
It’s everywhere in homes; one out of every 15 has it. But the thing is, you can’t see, taste, or smell it. So having your home tested for it is a big deal.
But here’s the million-dollar question: can air purifiers eliminate radon?
I decided to look into it, and here’s what I learned:
You can filter radon out using an Air purifier with activated carbon filters. They are designed to capture gases and remove radon. However, air filtration should not be your only method for radon mitigation.
In this guide, I’ll dive deeper into answering questions about whether radon can be filtered out of the air and how to eliminate radon in-house.
Do Air Purifiers Remove Radon?
Whether a model is capable depends upon if it is designed to remove particles or gases from the air.
Most air purifiers are created to capture particles in the air, like dust or dander, that often cause allergies.
Trapping pollen is very different from trapping a gas, though.
If you are wondering if there is an air purifier that removes radon?
Then I suggest you check out these five air purifiers that remove radon gas, I reviewed them and found the top 5 air purifiers that are the most effective.
Radon is a radioactive gas naturally present in trace amounts within Earth’s atmosphere.
This invisible element arises when radioactive metals like uranium, radium, or thorium break into rock, soil, and groundwater.
That means that radon is in the very dirt we walk on.
T
here’s no need to panic, though. Radon naturally dissipates outdoors, so it usually is not a health risk outdoors.However, it can become dangerous if it builds up inside a building.
Radon gas can become trapped within buildings after it seeps through cracks and crannies in the foundations.
Tha
t’s why most radon exposure happens inside homes, schools, and workplaces.Unlike the radon we tread on each day we walk outside, the gas within the buildings expands to fill the enclosed space.
When the rate or amount of radon coming through the cracks overtakes the rate it can dissipate, the radon concentration climbs.
Radon gas cannot be seen, tasted, or smelled but can still cause human health issues. The most serious of these is lung cancer.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), breathing in radon is estimated to be the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.
It may be hard to believe that inhaling an invisible gas you can’t even taste could cause cancer, but radon is responsible for over 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year.
The goo
d news is that radon is only potentially a problem indoors and can be controlled and prevented nowadays.How Do I Reduce Radon In My Home?
Similar to carbon monoxide, radon gas has no odor and is colorless.
The only way to determine the radon levels in your home, school, or workspace is to test them.
This ca
n be done by a hired professional or by ordering a home test kit.Folks who go the do-it-yourself route should contact a certified radon service professional if the radon levels are high.
You can find a certified professional by checking with your state radon office.
Many st
ates require radon professionals to maintain some license, certificate, or registration.This helps them stay current on appropriate radon tools, processes, and research updates.
Folks in states that lack these requirements can contact private radon proficiency programs for lists of certified professionals.
Follow
EPA guidelines to assess your radon levels. They recommend the levels be mitigated if they are at or above 148 Bq/m3 (4 pCi/L)1. Passive Radon Mitigation System
Remember that gas typically expands to fill the container holding it.
That’s what causes the radon buildup problem to begin with.
With that
in mind, it makes sense that radon-density problems are usually fixed by changing the airflow rate in the building.Underground ventilation systems are often installed to make this adjustment that allows the radon to dissipate rather than continue packing the room.
These modifications are called radon mitigation systems, and several options are available to folks dealing with radon gas.
Radon mit
igation systems are also known as radon reduction techniques. Some of them can reduce radon levels within a building by 99%2. Diagnostic Tests
Radon professionals may use different techniques to determine which mitigation test is right for each unique situation.
Sometimes the solution is as simple as sealing a few cracks.
- One of the most common diagnostic tools is chemical smoke. This compound is introduced to cracks or holes in the foundation to make air flow routes visible. These indicate potential radon routes since radon gas goes where the air flows.
- Soil communication tests use the chemical smoke in combination with a vacuum cleaner to tell how easily the air flows between two points beneath the foundation.
Contractors insert the vacuum hose in one hole and the chemical smoke in another.
This tell
s them whether the airflow allows the smoke to be pulled across the underpart of the home with just the vacuum cleaner’s suction.3. Soil suction
Once the radon professional has determined the critical approach to your specific circumstances, soil suction techniques are commonly utilized.
There are several different types, and their use varies based on the type of foundation the house was built upon.
This includ
es whether the home has a basement, crawl space, or slab-on-grade.The basic premise involves running one or more suction pipes beneath the house. This can be done through the foundation inside or outside the house.
One end of each pipe is inserted into the soil or rock. The other is connected to a suction pipe that draws the gas out from below the house like a drink through a straw.
Other types
of radon mitigation methods can be used in any house.4. Sealing
Sealing fractures and holes in the foundation is one of the most basic steps in radon reduction.
This is a good first step towards radon-proofing the home, but it is quite a stop-gap measure.
