As a home inspector and radon measurement professional a few of the questions that I am often asked is, What is radon? How does it affect me in my home? Why should I have my home tested? So, let’s dive in and take a look at the basics of radon in homes and why it really is important to you and your families health.
First, let’s get the boring chemistry stuff out of the way. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive, colorless, odorless gas. It is a decay chain product of uranium which is naturally occurring in the earth’s mantle. As uranium degrades or decays, it produces other elements along what’s known as a “decay chain”. Radon is one of those elements produced along that decay chain. Radon has a half-life of 3.8 days and when it decays it produces the elements polonium and lead in its decay chain. Radon and Polonium are the two elements that I will discuss here.
Because the ground under our feet is made of rocks, minerals and other substances there are always breaks or cracks that occur and radiate through the earth’s crust. These cracks are where radon gas emits from. As the radon gas is released into the atmosphere it is dissipated into the air and usually diluted to levels that aren’t generally considered to be harmful. When we build a home the first part of the construction is to place the foundation on the ground. This usually consist of digging up the ground and pouring the footers to support the structure of the building. Once the footers are poured the foundation is then erected which will usually enclose the area creating a basement, crawlspace or slab foundation. It is at this point that radon becomes a problem in homes. When we enclose the area of the home that sits on the ground we are encapsulating the ground that is directly below it. The radon gas that is naturally venting through the ground has now been confined into the encapsulated area of the home. Because the area is enclosed the gas has less air and less area to be diluted. As a result, radon levels can rise to an unhealthy level in the home.
So now that we know what radon is and how it gets into the home, let’s talk about the health risk associated with radon exposure. The vast majority of research about the health affects associated with radon exposure comes from studies of subterranean miners over the last 50 to 100 years. I’ll stay in my lane and just state that there was one illness that became apparent, Lung Cancer. More precisely, lung cancer that is associated with persistent exposure to elevated levels of radon. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the world and is second only to smoking. It is estimated that 15,000 to 20,000 people die every year from lung cancer associated with radon exposure. It wasn’t until the 1980’s to 1990’s that we connected the dots about radon exposure in homes. As a result, there have been some construction practices developed to mitigate the radon levels in the home as well as recommended testing procedures.
Radon is measured in pico curies and results are written as pico curies per liter of air or pCi/L. The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s recommendation is that for radon levels of 1.9 pCi/L or less in a home, no mitigation is needed. If the results are between 2.0 pCi/L to 4.0 pCi/L you should “Consider fixing the building”. If the results are 4.0 pCi/L or above you should “Fix the building”. Fixing the building as it relates to this article means Installing a mitigation system that will reduce the radon levels. These standards are what I use when testing homes for radon. There are several different protocols that are utilized when conducting a radon test in a home. One of which is a time-sensitive protocol. This is used for buyers involved in a real estate transaction. This type of testing allows the contracted buyer to have the testing done prior to the grace period or contingency expiration. This allows the buyers to potentially negotiate the expense of the mitigation system should the results of the testing be high. More importantly, it allows the buyer to make an informed decision about the health and safety of the air quality that they will be living in, should the sale be completed.
Insight Home Inspection uses a Continuous Radon Monitor or CRM testing device. This type of testing device records air samples in the home every hour for the duration of the test period. Using this type of testing equipment allows for our clients to have the results as soon as the testing has been completed. Once the test has been completed and the results have been validated by a trained and certified measurement professional, you will receive a detailed report outlining the test results, as well as our recommendation for mitigation purposes.
Whether you are in the process of buying a home or simply want to have your existing home tested, we will be happy to help.
Dave Stettler, HI, RMP-SA
(859) 707-6411