Quote:
Originally Posted by Grand_Lunar
Could that cause ill effects in a house that's rarely open to outside air?
I ask because one summer I was at my sister's place, and she rarely had the windows open. After a week of staying there, I woke up each morning feeling ill.
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Very doubtful. Radon is a carcinogen, but doesn't cause illness of the type you describe (as far as I know). It's much more likely that the house contained an allergen that caused your reaction, probably some dust or pollen that was different than those found in your usual residence.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grand_Lunar
The only source for radon would've been water; she had electric heat.
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Radon is often outgassed from below the slab or basement floor, and/or the basement walls. I don't really know how much that source contributes compared to water or heating fuel; it probably depends on the specific conditions in the house in question.
If you own a home and haven't run a radon test, it's a very good idea to do so. You can get them at hardware stores and home centers. You expose a small unit to the environment (usually in the basement) for a period of time (several weeks), then mail it to a processing center for analysis.
If you do have high radon levels, it's not terribly expensive to mitigate them. It generally involves increasing the rate of air exchange, which may also involve a heat exchanger so you don't blow a lot of warm air out.