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| 1. What Is
Radon? |
| Radon is a tasteless, odorless,
invisible gas that occurs naturally throughout the earth's crust. It is a
by-product of the breakdown of uranium in the soil, rock, and water.
Over time, uranium will decay into lead. This process has fourteen
steps, and radon is formed at the sixth step. This is especially
unique, in that it is the first of the decay products which is a gas, not a
solid.
Radon is found in every state in
America. Radon gas typically moves up through the ground to the air
above, and can enter your home through cracks or other openings in your
foundation. Radon which escapes into the air is not a problem, since
it is quickly diluted. However, radon gas that enters your house can
remain trapped there, especially during the winter months when windows and
doors are kept closed. |
| 2. How Does
Radon Enter Your House? |
| As radon gas moves up through
the soil, it can be drawn into your home through air pressure
differences. The air pressure inside your home is usually lower than
the pressure in the soil around the foundations and basement floor
slab. Any home can have a radon problem - new or old, well
sealed or drafty, with or without basements. |
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Because of this difference in
air pressure, your house acts like a giant vacuum, drawing radon gas in
through any opening in the foundation or basement floor.
Radon may also be present in
well water, and can be released into the air in your home when water is
used for showering and other household uses.
In most cases however, radon
entering the home through water is a small risk compared to radon entering
your home through the soil.
|
| 3. What Are The
Health Risks? |
| Radon is a cancer-causing,
radioactive gas. It is classified as a class-one carcinogen,
which is a proven cancer-causing agent. The radioactive decay products of radon gas, can
attach themselves to lung tissue when radon gas is inhaled. Since
radon has a 3.8 day half-life, it is likely that when a radon atom is
inhaled it will be exhaled again before it decays. However, as the
radon concentrations increase, the quantity of radon gas that has the potential to
decay while still inside your lungs also increases, thereby resulting in a
greater health risk.
Alpha radiation emitted during the decay
process presents the most significant risk to humans. The energy
released by alpha particles can cause permanent damage to DNA tissue in
the lungs. Most of this damage can prevent further cell division,
and eventually the cell will die. Small children are especially at risk. The level at which action should be taken to
reduce radon levels in your home is in
dispute, in some circles. In the United States, Congress has set a
long-term goal that indoor radon levels be no more than outdoor levels -
or about 0.4 pCi/l (picocurries of radon per liter of air). The
average indoor radon level in the United States is estimated to be about
1.3 pCi/l. While the EPA advises that no levels are safe, it
recommends fixing your home if the radon levels are found to be 4.0 pCi/l
or higher. This is often called the "action level".
Some other developed countries have action levels of 6.0 -10.0 pCi/l, or
greater. Whichever side of the
debate you find to be more credible, there can be no argument that high radon levels pose a
significant health risk. When life safety issues are at stake,
often times the safest course is the best course. |
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The Surgeon General has
warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United
States - only cigarette smoking causes more lung cancer deaths.
If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer
is especially high.
Your family's risk of developing lung
cancer from radon depends on the average annual level of radon in your
home, and the amount of time you spend there. The longer your
exposure to radon, the greater the risk (especially for young children and
smokers). |
| |
|
If You Are
Buying An Existing Home |
|
| The EPA recommends that you
obtain the indoor radon level of a home you are considering buying.
Ask the seller for radon test results. If the seller has a radon
reduction system installed, ask him for information about the system (i.e.
Who installed it? , What were the before and after radon levels? ,
etc.).
If the home has already been tested for
radon, you can decide to either accept the test or have a new one
performed. If you decide to accept the seller's test, be sure that
the test was performed by an individual who is qualified to do so
(successfully completed the EPA Radon Measurement Proficiency (RMP)
Program, and/or certified by the National Radon Safety Board). This will
help to assure you of the accuracy of the test results. You should
ask the seller for the following:
- The results of the previous test.
- Who conducted the test.
- Where, specifically, in the house was
the test taken.
- Have any structural changes been made to
the house since the test was taken.
If the home has not yet been tested for
radon, make sure that a radon test is done as soon as possible.
You should make this a part of the "full inspection
contingency", in your contract with the seller. You should
consider including provisions in the contract specifying:
- Who should conduct the test.
- What type of test to do.
- When to do the test, and for what
duration.
- How the seller and buyer will share the
test results, and if necessary the costs of radon reduction.
For accuracy, always try to utilize the
services of a trained, qualified, professional to take the radon
measurements. |
|
If You Are
Buying A Newly-Built Home |
|
| New homes can be built with
radon resistant features that minimize radon entry and allow for
easier radon reduction, if high levels should be determined to
exist. These features cost much less to install during the
construction process, than if added to an existing home later.
As a matter of fact, some municipalities and states are considering
adopting radon resistant construction features as a part of their building
codes.
Contact your builder and ask him to
incorporate radon resistant technology into your new home, as it is being
built. Information about this type of construction is readily
available from most State Health Departments, Local Health
Departments, and the US EPA. |
|
If You Are
Selling Your Home |
|
| If your home has already
been tested for radon, provide your test results to the buyer.
Remember, a potential buyer may ask for a new test if the one you took was
not performed properly, or if it was not performed by an qualified
individual.
If your home has not yet been tested for
radon, make sure that a radon test is done as soon as possible. If you
can, test your home before you put it on the market. This may
save you valuable time during a real estate transaction. The test should
always be taken in the lowest level of the home which is finished and
suitable for occupancy. This means, test your home in the lowest
level that you currently live in, or a lower level not currently used, but
which a buyer could use for living space without making renovations. The
result of the radon test is important information about your home's radon
level that potential buyers may want to know. |
|
Test Your
Home NOW!
More and more, home buyers and
renters are asking about radon levels before they buy or rent a
home. Because real estate sales happen quickly, there is often
little time to deal with radon and other issues, to both the buyer's and
seller's full satisfaction. The best thing to do is to test for
radon NOW and save the results in case the buyer is interested in
them. Fix a problem if it exists so it won't complicate your home sale
later on! Remember, during home sales:
-
Buyers more and more often
are asking if a home has been tested, and if elevated levels were
found have they been reduced?
-
Buyers frequently want
tests to be made by an impartial third party (not you!), who has no
financial interest in the outcome of the test. Contact a qualified
professional to take the radon measurement.
-
Many large corporate
relocation companies require a radon test as part of their acceptance
of a property.
|
|
Can
My Home Be Fixed If
High
Radon Levels Are Found?
Yes! Radon is one
of the easiest of all environmental concerns to repair. Sometimes, all it
takes is sealing up cracks and openings in basement floors, foundation
walls, openings around pipes, etc. If a crawl space is present,
often times placing a vapor barrier (plastic sheeting) over the bare soil
will cure the problem.
In other cases, it may be
necessary to install a special suction system that draws air from under
the basement floor and exhausts it to the outside. This is called a
sub-floor de-pressurization system. Whatever the methods used, a
high radon level can almost always be reduced easily!
|
| 5. There Are
Two General Ways To Test For Radon |
| Short-Term Testing - The
quickest way to test. Short-term tests remain in you home for two days to
90 days, depending upon the device used. Because radon levels tend
to vary from day-to-day and season-to-season, a short-term test is less
likely than a long term test, to tell you your year-round average radon
level. However, if the test is being done as a part of a real estate
transaction, you need results quickly. In this case, a short-term test may
be your only realistic option.
Long-Term Testing - Will give you a
reading that is more likely to reflect your home's year-round average
radon level than a short-term test. Long-term tests will remain in
your home for more than 90 days. |
|
RADON
RISK IF YOU SMOKE. . . |
| Radon
Level |
If
1,000 people who smoked were exposed to this radon level over a lifetime.
. . |
The
risk of cancer from radon exposure compares to. . . |
| 20
pCi/l
10 pCi/l
8 pCi/l
4 pCi/l
2 pCi/l
1.3 pCi/l
0.4 pCi/l |
About
135 people could get lung cancer
About 71 people could get lung cancer
About 57 people could get lung cancer
About 29 people could get lung cancer
About 15 people could get lung cancer
About 9 people could get lung cancer
About 3 people could get lung cancer |
100
X the risk of drowning
100 X the risk of dying in a house fire
- -
100 X the risk of dying in a plane crash
2 X the risk of dying in a car crash
(Average indoor radon level in the U.S.)
(Average outdoor radon level in the U.S.) |
|
RADON
RISK IF YOU'VE NEVER SMOKED. . . |
| Radon
Level |
If
1,000 people who never smoked were exposed to this radon level over a
lifetime. . . |
The
risk of cancer from radon exposure compares to. . . |
| 20
pCi/l
10 pCi/l
8 pCi/l
4 pCi/l
2 pCi/l
1.3 pCi/l
0.4 pCi/l |
About
8 people could get lung cancer
About 4 people could get lung cancer
About 3 people could get lung cancer
About 2 people could get lung cancer
About 1 person could get lung cancer
Less than 1 person could get lung cancer
Less than 1 person could get lung cancer |
The
risk of being killed in a violent crime
- -
10 X the risk of dying in a plane crash
The risk of drowning
The risk of dying in a house fire
(Average indoor radon level in the U.S.)
(Average outdoor radon level in the U.S.) |
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