When we moved into our house a few years ago we had the Radon level checked in our basement. We were informed that the level was a little high so we had “sub slab de-pressurization system” installed. This is basically an extract fan that runs to the outside of the house all the time.
An article in our local news paper last week had made a reference to the high levels of radon in most Colorado basements.
Now I am thinking about all those long winter hours I spend in my basement breathing heavily on the turbo trainer and tread mill.
I don’t know about Radon, but it’s good to see that even the top pro’s spend some part of the winter in their basement gym. I just always imagined that the pro’s were all in Mallorca or Lanzarote right about now while I was still running on my treadmill.
I wouldn’t call you paranoid. A pretty large percentage of the yearly radiation humans receive comes from Radon seeping through basement floors.
From what I know though, the fan systems do a very good job in solving that problem. Only way you can really be sure is to do a ( or another, if you’ve already done it) radon test and find out for yourself.
A friend of mine was in the same situation (bought house, radon was high, installed system, solved problem).
We have the same problem and also have a sub-slab ventilation system. High basement Radon levels are very common across the U.S. If your system is working and your follow-up test showed that levels were in the safe zone then I don’t see why training there should be dangerous. I have both a treadmill and computrainer in my basement that I use all the time since winter training in Pittsburgh can be pretty challenging. If you are still concerned, then open the window and turn on a fan while working out to exchange the air in the basement with fresh.
depends on how many hours/days/years you spend down there. it’s all a numbers game. will you be the one in a 1,000 or one in 10,000 ? will your exposure to radon have a synergistic effect with some other carcinogen you were exposed to? who knows?
the question is, do you feel lucky?
in any case, riding down there is definitely not reducing your risk.
but if it were me (physiologist and former professional environmental scientist/consultant), i would not ride in my basement for many reasons. for one, especially at your level, you inspire *vastly *deeper while exercising and whatever crud is in the air is going much far deeper into your lungs (but this doesn’t apply to radon, which is a gas) where it has far less chance of ever coming out.
also, the hours you spend down there add up as well as the sheer volume of air you are processing. if you sat down there for 3 hours on the couch, that would be one thing. but instead, you are down there for hours riding and processing liters and liters of air.
Boulder ain’t that cold, and one generates so much heat while stationary biking, you ever try setting up your trainer outside under an overhang or something?
When I do a workout on the tread mill or turbo trainer, it is only when the weather is bad.
I do not do long workouts, it usually amounts to a high intensity interval session etc
Oh yeah, I remember when my son was that that age and I had to worry about him crawling around the rear wheel. It was always my biggest fear. So if it is a tradeoff betwen taking in radon and saving the kid’s fingers I’d opt for the latter.
My home gym is also in the basement, but I have a plot to eventually move it up where there is sunlight. I am eyeing the deck with some thoughts on how to make it “indoor outdoor” in the future…
Hate to be alarmist. Check out the American Lung Association stats on lung cancer. I believe radon is one of the big causes - www.lungusa.com
“Radon is considered to be the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. today. Radon gas can come up through the soil under a home or building and enter through gaps and cracks in the foundation or insulation, as well as through pipes, drains, walls or other openings. Radon causes between 15,000 and 22,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States – 12 percent of all lung cancer deaths are linked to radon.”
not to give you something else to worry about, but I was contemplating how much carbon monoxide I’m sucking in on the trainer about 12’ from the furnace…
I think it takes a while for the radon it to build up so as long as your basement isn’t sealed (sans fan) you are probably ok. Usually you can also crack a window on many winter Colorado days when you are working out… If you are curious, could can always get a retest with the fan on to see what the levels are.
my grandparents lived for a while in South Dakota. My grandfather had a shop in the basement and spent most of his day working down there. After a few years, he started to get uncontrollable nose bleeds. He has always been the picture of health (earned a black belt in karate at age 70), so we were worried.
Anyway, he goes to the doctor. The doctor says get the basement checked for radon. Turns out it is off the charts. They immediately installed some kind of ventilation system and the next check was almost zero.
It’s now 10 years later and he doesn’t have any giant tumors (that we know). But it would be a really good idea to stay on top of checking the levels and finding a way to make them lower.
From the EPA’s site on radon, one can learn the following:
Say your radon level is 4, which IIRC is considered high, if you never smoked, and lived in that house your entire life with constant exposure, 73 people out of 10,000 would have a risk of death due to lung cancer.
I wouldn’t worry about unless you plan on spending the rest of your days in the basement with all of the windows closed. As with just about everything else in this country, the risk is waaaay overblown, like that crap years ago about high power lines and cancer.