All American Environmental Services, Your Radon Mitigation Specialists
All American Environmental Services, Your Radon Mitigation Specialists
AAES
About Us
All American Environmental Services is a family owned radon mitigation company covering North and South Carolina. We specialize in the removal of radon gas from your home and business.
What is radon
- Radon is an odorless gas produced by uranium decay in rocks and soil
- Found in every state
- Any type of foundation is susceptible to radon issues
- Similar to tobacco smoke and asbestos, it is a class “A” carcinogen that is known to cause cancer in humans, causing 15,400-21,800 deaths yearly
- Radon level at which a mitigation system is needed: 4 pCi/L
- Low-level radon exposure over time is more harmful than short periods of high-level exposure
- Radon concentrations are up to ten times higher during the winter
How to better understand radon exposure
Radon -- being an odorless, colorless, tasteless, and in all ways utterly impossible to notice using any of the human senses -- is toxic and could be present in your home right now. All American Environmental Services is the Carolina's radon mitigation specialists. Contact us today for solutions to your home's radon problem.
Any Home Can Have a Radon Problem
As a gas, radon can enter any home through cracks, holes, or any other openings. In particular, radon enters homes through a process known as the "stack effect", which practically sucks the gas right into the home.
Since the pressure inside the house is lower than the pressure outside the house, a vacuum is created. As the warm air rises, it makes its way out of the house and is then replaced by unconditioned air from the outside.
This air can then quickly begin to build up, especially when the weather gets cooler and windows (escape routes) are closed. In other words, the radon gets trapped. There could be a lot or a little, which is why every homeowner needs to test for radon and conduct frequent checkups.
Radon Test Results - What Do They Mean?
Radon is measured in picocuries per liter (pCi/L) and the smaller the number the safer you are. However, even what is considered "small amounts" of radon may not be all that safe. Regardless, most homes can be mitigated and the levels can be lessened to some degree.
Monitoring radon levels is a key step for ensuring your home is protected.
As a standard, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has defined 4.0 pCi/L as the "action level" for any indoor environment. This means that a test reading 4.0 pCi/L and above needs to be mitigated and the radon levels need to be immediately reduced.
The EPA estimates .4 pCi/L as the national average for the outdoor air, while 1.3 pCi/L is the national average for the indoor air. Although these averages are seemingly quite low, even this 1.5 pCi/L could be problematic. When this amount is trapped within a home, it's far more concentrated than if it were outside.
The World Health Organization (WHO) claims that radon can be dangerous in any concentration, which is why radon reduction systems are so important. These systems constantly work to lower the radon levels in your home.
"Most radon-induced lung cancers occur from low-and-medium-dose exposures in people's homes. Radon is the second most significant cause of lung cancer after smoking in many countries," said Dr. Maria Neira of the WHO.
Experts at the EPA agree: "We know that radon is a carcinogen. This research confirms that breathing low levels of radon can lead to lung cancer," said Tom Kelly, the director of the EPA's Indoor Environments Division.
As long as your home is below 4.0 pCi/L, you should have some peace of mind. However, All American Environmental Services wants to do everything possible to get the radon levels as low as possible. Contact All American Environmental Services today for more information.
How to Better Understand Radon Levels
Maybe 10pCi/L doesn’t sound all that bad, so 4.0pCi/L can’t be a problem at all. In order to understand the number, you have to understand the science behind the measuring system. Based on extensive studies of uranium miners around the world and comprehensive case studies, scientists have determined that 4.0pCi/L is the U.S. action level. This means that radon levels above 4.0 pCi/L require immediate action and should be lowered.
Even if levels are below 4.0pCi/L, there is no determined safe level of radon. Any exposure can be harmful and it is estimated that ⅔ of radon-induced lung cancers come from exposures less than 4.0pCi/L. The only solution is to lower levels as low as possible.