Welcome to my blog. My name is Darren. I own several rental properties in Western Australia. Once I had made the purchases, I discovered that several of the properties needed extensive work before I could rent them to tenants, so I had to hire construction contractors, plumbers, electricians, waste disposal experts and roofing experts to make sure the homes were in top condition. Once I had repaired the buildings, I contacted a letting agent who put them on the market for me. I learnt a lot from working with some many different businesses so I decided to start this blog to share everything I know.
Smoking is perhaps the most common cause of lung cancer. That's why it is a great accomplishment that some people have been able to give up this habit. However, your history as a smoker might leave you more vulnerable to lung cancer than someone who doesn't have a smoking history. For this reason, you should be concerned about other factors that might increase your risk of developing the dreaded disease.
This article discusses two air contaminants that you should be aware of in a bid to lower your risk of developing lung cancer.
Radon
Radon is a gaseous pollutant that might be present in your indoor air. You cannot detect the presence of radon in air because it has no smell and it's colourless. Radon is produced during the decomposition of uranium in the soil around your home. The gas might get into your indoor living spaces through cracks in your basement or through leaking drainage pipes.
Radon is a dangerous gas because it's radioactive. This radioactivity increases your likelihood of developing cancer if you inhale radon-contaminated air over a long period of time. In order to determine the presence of radon in indoor air, you'll need a DIY radon test kit. These kits are available from a number of online stores and they'll give you instructions on how to use the kit and how to interpret the results it gives. With such a kit, you'll be able to test and monitor the presence of radon around the house at regular intervals.
Asbestos
Despite having said goodbye to the nicotine, you may still develop lung cancer if you're constantly exposed to asbestos at home. Asbestos around your home might be present within the chimney, in thermal insulation used around the house and in old vinyl floor tiles. Asbestos may also be present in contaminated soil around the house.
Asbestos fibres might be released into the air when the materials that contain asbestos are disturbed or damaged (e.g. when old vinyl tiles break).
If you aren't sure whether there's asbestos in or around your home, you should hire an asbestos assessor who will inspect the premises after which he or she will prepare an asbestos register. The asbestos register contains information on all the materials that contain asbestos around the house, their exact location and their physical condition.
An asbestos assessor might also help you draft an asbestos management plan. The plan outlines strategies that you'll need to adopt in a bid to control the release of asbestos fibres into your indoor living spaces.
You've eliminated one risk factor. Now eliminate the two discussed above.
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