Ro Troia

RADON – The Silent Killer!

As if we didn’t have enough to worry about with all the chemicals in our food, our furniture, our carpet, and toys manufactured in a country far away we now have to worry about Radon gas too?  Radon is an odorless (not like grandpa’s gas), colorless, naturally occurring radioactive gas that’s formed from the decay of radium contained in rock, soil, and water.  Radon gas reportedly causes over 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year in the United States.  It is also the second most frequent cause of lung cancer deaths with cigarette smoking taking the number one spot.
When purchasing a home, especially a home with a basement, it is very important to have the radon levels checked before you buy the home.  Most home inspectors are able to perform a radon test and the cost to do so is usually around $100.  According to the EPA, radon levels above 4 pCi/L (picocuries per liter) are a health hazard.  If radon levels are high you should install a radon mitigation system.  Most radon mitigation systems will start at $800 or higher depending on the size of the basement, crawl spaces, and foundation/flooring composition.

Radon levels vary depending on geographic locations and soil composition and levels from home to home can vary.  If you would like to see where radon levels are most prevalent check out the map below.

A good real estate agent will always recommend you test for radon if you are about to purchase a home with a basement.  It is definitely worth the extra money to test for radon especially if you will be spending time in the basement of your new home.  A short term test may take 2-3 days and test results may take an additional 1-3 so get this tested as soon as possible after you are under contract.  Most sellers are willing to remedy the issue by installing or paying for a radon mitigation system.

Don’t be a RADON casualty!!

Tags: Tags: Add new tag, Boulder real estate, epa, health, new home, radon, radon testing, real estate, safety

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 18th, 2008 at 6:04 pm and is filed under Buyer's Corner, First Time Buyers, Selling Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1. radon mitigation said at January 14th, 2009 at 10:05 am

   Great radon awareness article. This silent danger is real. Testing is simple and mitigation is affordable. Unfortunately it’s too late for the man in the photo to learn about the danger of radon gas!

2. Gringe said at September 25th, 2009 at 3:53 pm

   I worked for 4 years for a company (UK) that manufactured barriers for new construction projects to prevent the ingress of this gas into new buildings.

   First I just wanted to see where your focus on properties with basements came into this? It reads as if they are at more risk, when in fact any home with or without a basement will be an issue.

   Second, maps on this stuff are highly misleading, however yours at least states there is no data. Also tests conducted in the same row of houses can vary in levels from one end to the other so it is not wise to base purely on maps.

   In the UK the advice is a 300 mu (micron) polythene barrier installed and fully sealed along joins. A lot now also have a sump installed which provides a void that allows the radioactive byproducts of radon gas to accumulate and are then safely vented away from the property (we call it a passive system).

   An issue in the UK for the rising concern is the lack of ventilation in new properties. With a strong drive towards eco-friendly properties, we pack them with more insulation, double glazed windows and get rid of all those horrible drafts. They used to help reduce concentration levels of the gas.

   Also, it is not an instant killer but in the UK it is the single largest source of our daily radioactive exposure (http://www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1195733713848?p=1158945066102)

   It contributes to lung cancer, which is often compounded by smoking.

   In short, to test is best (to coin a phrase from a company that funnily enough sold test kits) but it is right.

3. Annebethha Jermarakk said at February 7th, 2011 at 6:29 pm

   This really helped me with studies. Thanks a lot!

4. rodon martik said at February 11th, 2011 at 8:29 am

   Seems like you know what you are talking about. I’m a high school teacher and I can really use this for my current course. Thanks!

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