You may be familiar with radon and how hazardous it may be in and around the St. Louis, St. Charles, Warren, and Franklin county areas. While you should be concerned about radon all year round, the winter may be the time to pay particular attention to this potential problem. And those elevated radon gas levels can increase the risk of developing lung cancer. Various factors, including human behavior and seasonal fluctuations, influence radon levels.
Since the majority of people don’t open their windows in the winter, radon can’t escape, and settles inside your homes. This is why winters are ideal to get radon testing services.
How Are Radon Levels Higher in Winter?
Mentioned below are some reasons why radon levels are higher in winter:
1. Closed Doors and Windows:
How frequently do people leave their windows and doors open in the winter? Rarely, given our efforts to stay warm in the cold months. However, this might make us more likely to be exposed to radon. Radon naturally enters your home through basements or foundations through rocks, dirt, and even water. Radon cannot escape from your home and escape to the outdoors because of all those locked doors and windows. Due to the fact that there are fewer pathways for the gas to leave your home, this can result in higher radon concentrations.
We advise radon testing services for your home during the winter season so that radon experts can test for the “worst-case-scenario.” Planning and implementing the best radon mitigation systems to address radon in your home requires an accurate assessment of radon gas levels.
2. Snow and Rain:
Radon gas flows upward through the soil into the atmosphere and unfortunately that often makes it flow right through your home. The problem becomes more severe during the winter since all of the added moisture can saturate and even freeze the soil. In the winter, radon levels go through a similar effect. Snow covers the earth like a blanket, keeping radon from seeping out and trapping the gas there. If this happens, radon cannot naturally flow into the atmosphere. This redirects the radon gas towards an easier path, the path right through your home and in higher concentrations than usual.
3. Stack Effect:
The stack effect is another important factor that raises radon levels during the winter. As the air tries to escape outside, air pressure is higher outside the building than inside. Basements and lower levels have lower air pressure than the outside and the air is forced in. The bigger the difference between inside and outdoor temperatures, the greater the difference between those two air pressures. The times of the year when that difference is greatest are, unsurprisingly, winter and summer.
Winter radon levels are increased by a combination of all these variables, giving you more reasons to seek out radon testing services. A radon expert can make an accurate assessment of your home’s radon levels with certified equipment and 48 hour testing. After that, they will build the ideal mitigation system for you and your family to keep everyone safe..
If you have any questions, please call the EnviroTech Radon solutions team at (636) 395-2701 to help you with your radon testing or radon mitigation systems.