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October 2004
Index of all
past
Affiliate Corner columns
Radon Levels:
Help for the REALTOR® and consumer
By George A. Michael, P.E.
RAM/GAM Engineering Services, Inc.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that you can't see, taste or smell. It is produced by the breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water. All rocks contain some uranium, although most contain just a small amount. Certain types of rock, including granites, dark shales, light-colored volcanic rocks, sedimentary rocks containing phosphate and metamorphic rocks derived from these rocks have higher than average uranium contents.
The radon gas from the soil can enter a home or building through dirt floors, hollow-block walls, cracks in the foundation walls and floors, and openings around floor drains, pipes and sump pumps. Radon is more concentrated in the lower levels of the home, that is, basements, ground floors and first floors.
Radon problems have been identified in every state. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that one in 15 homes in the United States has an elevated radon level. Radon is measured in picocuries per liter (pCi/L) of air. It is recommended that action be taken to reduce radon levels if the annual average is 4 pCi/L or higher.
The U. S. Surgeon General and the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency have determined that after smoking radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Radon gas decays into radioactive particles that can get trapped in your lungs when you breathe. As they break down further, these particles release small bursts of energy. This can damage lung tissue and lead to lung cancer over the course of your lifetime.
Testing is the only way to know if you are at risk from radon. Testing for radon is simple and takes only a few minutes of your time. Radon test kits are placed in the lowest lived-in level of the home and left for the specified period of time. After that time, the kit is sent to a certified laboratory for analysis.
If you decide to hire a qualified company to do a radon test or a qualified contractor to fix your home, contact the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) who maintains a current listing of certified individuals for measurement, mitigation and laboratories qualified in these fields.
The list can be found at www.radongas.org/neha.
Regarding Real Estate Transactions ensure that the home you are planning to purchase does not have elevated levels of radon by having the home tested. Short-term tests can be completed in a matter of days. We have heard the comment from some REALTORS® that they do not worry about radon gas. This is a disservice to your clients. Even if they are not worried about their health, they will be extremely upset when it affects their pocketbooks at the time that they go to sell their home. Most purchasers are asking for a radon test and if the levels are high, in most cases it's the seller left holding the bag. That does not bode well for the REALTOR® who downplayed the importance of a radon test when the home was purchased originally.
Remember, elevated radon levels can be fixed and can almost always be reduced below 4 pCi/L. Where "time is of the essence" and radon mitigation cannot be arranged quickly, consider putting money in escrow at the closing to remedy the problem after the closing.
A professional inspection can alert a seller to existing or potential problems such as radon, allowing the seller to address the problem and not discourage a potential buyer. If your home inspector is certified to measure for radon, consider asking him to test the home.
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