Radon, Carbons, Fires and CATS!

Rhino

I did several Radon tests in my basement... I got this on all of them:

With results in this range (2.0 to 3.9 pCi/L) the USEPA recommends that you conduct further tests to determine the true annual average. If the result remains between 2 and 4 there is little short-term risk, but you should consider fixing your home. Additionally, if you make any structural changes or start to use a
lower level of the building more frequently, you should test again.

That is all the information they sent. They didn't tell me how to fix my home.


My basement is where I sleep!

How do I fix my home so that I don't get killed by the Radons!?

Also I got a Carbon Monoxide detector in my basement (where I sleep). It has not gone off yet. Am I safe? Is there anything else I should test for? I have a fire detector.

In the basement, that is also where the Furnace and Air Conditions are (and Washer/dryer).

How do I make my home safe from air toxins?

Also it should be noted, that there is a possibility that a baby might move in and live here. If that is the case I want to make it super safe for the little one since they aren't as robust as us adults. I don't want it to be breathing in poisons, carbon monoxides, fires or radons.

The other thing! A friend of a friend said that cats where bad for babies? Is this true? They said that cats can hurt baby's lungs?!?!

supertall

There's an old wives' tale about cats "sucking the life out of babies"; basically, cat's like lying on soft warm things, so they'd lay on babies and suffocate them from the weight. I don't know how true it is.

EggyToast

If the kid's allergic to dander, yeah, that could be bad. Cos the kid isn't going to be obvious about having an allergic reaction, usually.

As for radon, you can't stop it if you've got it. It's in the rocks around your house, and there's only two things you can do -- drastically increase the ventilation in your living space, or stop living in the basement.

Do you only sleep there? It's not ideal, but it's not bad, either.

Radon is assumed to be a contributing factor to lung cancer. So if you smoke, STOP SMOKING. If you don't, you probably don't have anything to worry about. If you're worried, though, the best thing to do is not live in the basement.

Thanatos

Cats carry a lot of bacteria, actually. And their poop can carry some shit that's particularly bad for babies. The new parents should talk to their pediatrician.

EclecticGroove

The most common "fix" for radon in a house is to install a vent that cycles the air from the low levels of the house and simply pumps it outside. I know plenty of places have services that do it, they will often just install a set of pipes to take the air from the basement and funnel it into the houses exhaust system, or chimney.

Likewise you could probably push it out an exterior wall via a window, but you'd need to consult people that handle this stuff to determine where it should be laid out.

As for cats, what than said. They can just be very bad for kids if they have a reaction to the dander or anything else they may drag around. Either way, don't keep the litterbox anywhere near where the baby will be.

EggyToast

Thinatos wrote: »

Cats carry a lot of bacteria, actually. And their poop can carry some shit that's particularly bad for babies. The new parents should talk to their pediatrician.

Toxoplasmosis is bad for pregnant women, not babies. Unless the baby is cleaning the litter box or eating cat feces.

Improvolone

Also, toxoplasmosis can only be gotten if the cat has a particular cyst, and the woman somehow transfers said cyst to her eyes or mouth.
As for babies, well, there is always suffocation. My first child is due early January and we have a cat. The thing we are worried most about is the cats attitude and tempermant towards the kid.

Rhino

EggyToast wrote: »

If the kid's allergic to dander, yeah, that could be bad. Cos the kid isn't going to be obvious about having an allergic reaction, usually.

As for radon, you can't stop it if you've got it. It's in the rocks around your house, and there's only two things you can do -- drastically increase the ventilation in your living space, or stop living in the basement.

Do you only sleep there? It's not ideal, but it's not bad, either.

Radon is assumed to be a contributing factor to lung cancer. So if you smoke, STOP SMOKING. If you don't, you probably don't have anything to worry about. If you're worried, though, the best thing to do is not live in the basement.

I used to smoke, but quit about 6 months ago.

There is an air vent installed in my "bedroom"... the last people put it there.
Assuming that turning this vent on might help?

Chenjesu

I just bought a house in a radon-y area, and it fortunately tested fine. From what I heard from my realtor, the abatement solution is to drill a hole in the foundation slab and install a vent to draw out radon-alicious air from the foundation and vent it into the open outside. This has to be an active exchange system (i.e. a powered fan.)

Radon is a long-term cancer type threat, not an instant-death type threat like carbon monoxide, and no, the monoxide detector does not see radon at all.