Radiating health hazard: Eliminate carcinogenic radon from basements

Radon is a gas that can escape from the ground into basements through cracks and joints.

Radiating health hazard: Eliminate carcinogenic radon from basements

Radon is a gas that can escape from the ground into basements through cracks and joints. According to the Federal Office, it is the second most common cause of lung cancer after smoking. You can do that.

In some cellars, ventilation is particularly important to protect health. Because the gas radon in the ground, which is considered carcinogenic, can penetrate the building and accumulate in the basement.

What should I do?

If you live in areas with high levels of radon, you should ventilate floors that are in contact with the ground more often - in such a way that all the indoor air is exchanged after just a few minutes. This is achieved with cross ventilation by opening opposite windows at the same time. The Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BFS) advises this.

However, since ventilation is not always sufficient, you should have the radon concentration measured in your own building in endangered regions. Providers of measuring devices send the detectors by post. These are then attached to several places in the basement or in other living rooms and sent back for evaluation after three to twelve months. The BFS maintains an online list of recognized providers.

If the result is poor, leaks in the basement and ground floor may need to be sealed.

Where is radon found?

The good news: The radon concentration in the soil varies greatly from region to region. It tends to be higher between central and southern Germany and in the far north on the coasts. Whether radon can actually penetrate into the basement there depends on the structural condition of the house and, for example, on whether there is a continuous floor slab.

According to the BFS, buildings that were built before 1960 and do not have modern moisture insulation are more likely to be affected. Are there gaps, cracks, natural stone vaults, open basement floors, unsealed cable penetrations, connections to underground cavities through which soil air can obviously penetrate into the building?

What Makes Radon So Dangerous?

According to the Federal Office, radon is the second most common cause of lung cancer after smoking. You cannot see, smell or taste the gas. And it is created in the ground and can get into interior spaces from there via cracks, joints or pipe penetrations and accumulate there in dangerous concentrations. This is especially possible in areas of the house that have contact with the ground - such as the basement.