Your home is your safe place, where you can relax and refresh after all the stresses of day-to-day life. Because of this, you want to make sure your home is safe and to keep any hidden dangers at bay. No matter how rigorous you were when you bought your home, there can be hidden dangers in any home and your home could be making you sick!
Here are the three most common hidden dangers you should look out for:
Radon
Radon has been proven by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be the most common cause of lung cancer in those who do not smoke. Radon is a radioactive odorless and colorless gas which is often found in soil, which often collects in basements and crawl spaces before filtering upwards through the home.
If your home has an unacceptable level of radon gas, it can be mitigated to solve the problem. This includes ventilating the home and venting any excess radon gas outside of the home.
If you are worried about radon in your home, you can buy a radon test kit to test levels yourself in your living spaces and work out if you need to do work on your home.
Lead
It is relatively well known to most homeowners today that lead-based paint is likely to be present in the majority of homes built before 1978, and the risks associated with it.
Lead can be present in a few areas of the home, such as plumbing pipes, soil around the home and, the most common, lead-based paint. Often this can be rectified by simply sealing danger zones with a new coat of paint, but if you are particularly worried about lead levels in your home you can arrange for testing to be carried out.
Asbestos
Asbestos is a material that was in the past used commonly in home construction and has been strongly associated with a variety of serious health conditions such as mesothelioma. Although it is no longer used in construction, asbestos may be found in a lot of older homes.
Asbestos can commonly be found inside the walls and ceilings of older homes, particularly in insulation and insulated wraps used for HVAC and plumbing. It can be found in a variety of roofing materials such as shingles and siding materials, as well as surfaces and coatings like floor and ceiling tiles, textured paints, and patching compounds.
It is worth noting that asbestos does not become immediately dangerous unless it is disturbed. The danger with asbestos comes from inhaling the fibers, so any process such as moving, drilling, cutting or breaking anything containing asbestos that allows the fibers to become airborne makes it a hazard.
If you’re worried about asbestos in your home, make sure to book an asbestos assessment to keep you aware of the risks in your home and protect you from accidentally putting yourself and your family at risk.
Hidden dangers can be anywhere, and they are not always easy to spot. If you’re worried about any part of your home, book some testing to keep yourself and your family safe, and put your mind at ease.
