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Radon testing for your home
Clark MacCallister
January is National Radon Awareness month. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, only behind tobacco smoke. It is responsible for a reported 21,000 deaths per year in the U.S. Radon is a radioactive gas that forms when naturally-occurring uranium in granite bedrock decays into radium. This radium then decays to radon, which is a colorless, odorless gas. Radon is not harmful outside, but it can build up to damaging levels inside a house. All of north Georgia, especially the upper third of the state, is considered to be at a moderate to high radon risk. Radon enters homes through cracks and crevices in your foundation. The air pressure inside your home acts as a vacuum, helping to pull radon up from the soil beneath.