Radon is a colorless, tasteless, odorless naturally occurring radioactive gas that can seep into your basement or the lowest livable space in the home from the surrounding soil. There are no known health effects connected with brief exposure to radon. However, over a lifetime, breathing air with too much radon increases a person’s risk of getting lung cancer. The risk is increased even more for a smoker exposed to radon.
National statistics indicate that one in fifteen homes in the U.S. have unacceptable levels of radon. According to a report by the National Academy of Sciences, radon is estimated to cause between 15,000 and 22,000 lung cancer deaths per year and it is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking (which caused 440,000 deaths by last count of the Center for Disease Control)
Elevated levels of radon have been found in every part of the state and cannot be predicted by the style, age or location of a home.
The only way to know whether your house has unacceptable levels of radon is to have the lowest livable space in the home tested. You may test yourself using kits that are available at home supply stores or seek professional assistance. The use of a long-term radon test is best. Because radon levels can change daily, weekly and seasonally, a test of three to 12 months (ideally including a heating season) gives the most accurate measure of actual exposure.
Radon gas is measured in units of picocuries per liter (pCi/L) of air. EPA action levels for radon are 4.0 pCi/L. If your test result is at or above 4.0 pCi/L, you should seek help from a certified mitigation contractor to reduce radon levels in your home.
If radon occurs as a result of out gassing from the soil, the most common reason, this can be readily mitigated with ventilation for roughly $1,000. to $2,500 depending on the type of structure and type of system. Removal technology is simple and straightforward. It involves blocking points of entry into the lowest livable space in the home and venting areas to the outside using a fan to exhaust basement air. Usually plastic ducting and piping are sufficient, and these low-cost materials can help keep total costs low.
Be sure to get two or three (or more) bids from a certified mitigation contractor to gain your own perspective on the actual costs of radon mitigation and the different ways a system can be installed.
Although much less common, well water has also been found to contain radon which can contribute to higher levels of the gas in a home. Another fairly new and even less common discovery is radon in granite counter tops. Mind you, both of these occurrences can be corrected albeit with widely varying costs.