Every time I sell a home, I strongly suggest my buyer has their future home tested for radon before completing the purchase. Radon exists in both old homes as well as new homes throughout the nation.
Radon is radioactive gas which is produced from the decay of uranium found within the earth’s crust. Once the decay takes place, the radioactive gas particles rise into the air and attach to dust. Radon gas enters your house through any crack or gap within the foundation. Once in your house, the particles remain trapped and can actually build up over time causing very dangerous levels of radon that you and your loved ones inhale. Radon gas should not be taken lightly. The EPA has proved radon levels greater than 4.0 picocuries (pCi/L) to be the second leading cause of lung cancer in America. Once the radon is in your lungs, the little particles actually release bubbles of energy which can lead to lung cancer. You can not smell, taste or see radon.
The only way of knowing if you have radon gas in your home is to conduct a test for the gas. I suggest that everyone has their home tested for radon, even if you are not planning on selling. Once the time comes to sell, the results are handy to show your buyers. The tests are fairly inexpensive and the results come within a week or two if you use an inexpensive canister test. More accurate test results can be obtained with the use of a RAD7 continuous monitor read-out machine used by professionals.
If high levels of radon are found, a radon mitigation system can be installed for around $850. A quick and easy test can put you and your family at ease and know you live in a healthy environment. Please contact me if you would like to know more about how to test your home for the presence of radon gas.
Other helpful information web sites are:
A Home Buyer's and Seller's Guide to Radon
A Citizen's Guide To Radon
Feel free to call or email me. -
A Citizen's Guide To Radon
Feel free to call or email me. -
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2 comments:
Hi, I just found about your blog about radon, we bought a house two years ago in NC(moved from NJ)the time we bought we had an inspector, the house belonged to a realtor, the result we had that we have radon, but at the time we had known nothing about it, the first year(last year we had drought) this year my health is not good(arthritis and may be fibromyalgia too)have to see a specialist next week, all the windows are swetting and making mold?? black mildew, I am concerned and started today honestly to check about this issue, the moving and being in new area, new country, new place, never thought about the radon issue, on top of it never heard about it, and the inspector said leave the windows open for few hours a day, and the problem will go away, what can you tell me? you can email me at ttiigeerr@yahoo.com
thanks a lot.
Hi Ttiigeerr,
Thanks for your note. I always appreciate it when my readers take the time to jot down their thoughts and in your case questions.
To start with, I need to be sure you know that I have no medical training. But, if you were to visit with a doctor, I am sure you would learn that radon gas is very unlikely the cause of your symptoms. Radon gas will likely take years of exposure to actually cause noticeable harm to you. The EPA correlates radon gas exposure to smoking so many packs of cigarettes a day. You need to have a long term exposure to radon gas to experience noticeable negative effects.
Radon gas is naturally occurring in the soil and is not eliminated by opening your windows. Opening your windows will greatly reduce the concentration of the gas, but what about the days that you can not have your windows open all day long? If your radon levels are 4.0Picocuries (P C i / L), you really should be installing a radon mitigation system in your home. A trusted Realtor or home inspector will have a list of radon mitigation contractors that you can call to get the correct system installed in your home.
The black mold you mentioned is of much more concern for you in the short run. Besides becoming very ill, some people can actually die from exposure to certain types of mold. You may want to at least read an article on my web site regarding mold by clicking on my article titled: MOLD MOLD MOLD…And You.
http://www.denverrealestateonline.com/PageManager/Default.aspx/PageID=537085&NF=1
My strongest recommendation would be for you to also have your home tested for mold. If you do have mold in your home, you should immediately start mold mitigation procedures to first eliminate the source of the mold. (Perhaps improper home air circulation or ventilation in your case)
Start by contacting home inspectors in your community. They can conduct mold sampling by either a scrape test and/or perhaps an air test. They might also have suggestions about the source of the mold. The source or cause of the mold needs to be eliminated AND the existing mold needs to be removed. Mold can cause immediate health issues and should not be ignored.
I sure hope this helps you with the issues you are having.
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