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Radon: A
cancer-causing, radioactive gas. The presence of radon gas results in
radioactive particles that, if inhaled, can settle deep within the
lungs. Over time, this exposure can result in cancer. Radon is
the second leading
cause of lung cancer.
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What Is A
Safe Radon Level?
There Is None!
To
be honest with you, I never gave much thought to the dangers
of radon until moving into an earth home in the fall of '92.
Surrounded by  earth
above, below and on three sides, this home was a prime
candidate for high levels of radon gas. After doing research on the
dangers of this radioactive gas, it was important for me to know where
I stood in regard to my exposure to radon.
Did you know?
- By some estimates, continued exposure to radon gas
causes approximately 21,000 cases of lung cancer per year in the U.S.
- Nearly 1 out of every 15 homes in the U.S. is
estimated to have
elevated radon gas levels. That level is 4 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L)
or higher.
- High radon gas levels have been found in every state
and in every type of house.
- Radon testing is easy - by using a simple,
inexpensive radon
test kit, you can find out to what degree you and
your family are at risk.
So What Is
The Radon Gas Level In Your Home?
If
you haven't done any radon testing yet, there is no time like the
present to begin. The
following steps are what I use and recommend for determining the level
of danger radon gas presents to you and your family when you
are home. This
procedure has been used in both my earth home as well as my cabin in
northwestern Wisconsin.
Radon
Testing - Step 1
Start
with a short-term test first using 48-hour, 72-hour or 96-hour radon
test kits. Where can you find radon test kits? You can
purchase them online or find them at major home center stores. Also,
you can check with your state or county offices that
deal with environmental health issues. They may be able to assist you.
Follow the manufacturers directions carefully to get the most accurate
test possible. Most kits are pretty specific about how to test, where
to test, and what conditions to avoid. If you purchase
a 48-hour test kit, make sure to use the full 48 hours as a test
of less than 48 hours is a waste of time. Once the test is done,
package it up and
send it off (along with any lab fee) to the lab within 24 hours! If you
leave it sit around for a few days, you won't get a "true"
reading.
Placement
of radon test kits is super important. You want
to use
a radon test kit on the lowest level of your home that
is a living
area. In
other words, a level where you and your family eat, sleep or
spend time. If you
have an unfinished basement, you can test there
too - it is usually where radon gas first enters a home. But
if no one spends time there (less than eight to 10
hours per week) then it isn't absolutely necessary.
When you get the results back in the mail, you will get the radon
reading(s) for the test kit(s) you sent in. According to the EPA
the maximum "acceptable" level of radon gas is 4 picoCuries per
liter (pCi/L). Anything over that
reading and you'll want to take further action such as using a longer
term test or even radon mitigation. If your reading(s) come
back under 4 pCi/L, don't take comfort just yet. Why?
Radon
gas levels can fluctuate daily and the reading(s)
could easily be above 4 pCi/L on the day before and the day
after you have tested. If you have a reading of 2pCi/L or
more, then I highly recommend you follow the instructions in Step 2.
In my earth
home, I did a short-term test first using
a 48-hour charcoal canister radon test kit. I only needed one
canister because
my earth home had just one level. I placed it roughly
in the center of the home. The results came back with a reading just under 4 pCi/L.
That was too high! I moved on to Step 2.
Radon
Testing - Step2
Testing
for radon gas with a 90 day or longer test kit will
provide a reading that is
more likely to be the true reading of your home's average
radon gas level. These kits
are more expensive than the short-term kits. I paid about $20
for my 90 day Alpha track detector but it included
the lab report and was well worth the cost.
Here again, you can shop online for long-term radon test kits. I have
not seen these kits in home center stores - they only seem to sell
short-term kits. Don't just use another short-term kit. You want at
least a 90-day radon test kit for this step. If you have trouble
locating one, see if your state or county can help you.
Using a long-term radon test kit is a little more demanding if you want
to get an accurate reading. It is best done in late fall or early
winter as windows and doors should remain closed. If they are not, the
outside air will give you lower readings than
actually exist (a false sense of security). If you take a winter trip,
schedule the testing over that period of time (to limit the opening and
closing of doors, running of bathroom fans, etc.). Furnaces running are
okay.
The
results
from my second earth-home radon test came in lower than the
first. I was comfortable with the lower reading and did not go
to Step 3.
When doing radon
testing of my Wisconsin cabin, I used a 96 hour test kit from Pro-Lab.
This
kit consisted of two
small radon detection canisters which were placed 6"
apart.
After the 96 hour test, I
quickly sealed the canisters
and sent them to the Pro-Lab labratory along with the $15 lab fee. In
about a week I
received the results and the news was good. A radon gas level of
1.4 pCi/L. I was satisfied with the reading and
did not take any
further action but will test every two years.
Radon
Mitigation - Step3
If
your long-term radon testing results come back around the 4
pCi/L or higher, you can either try to reduce the radon gas level
yourself (sealing up likely radon gas entry points in the
basement or slab,
installing fans or fresh-air exchangers, etc.) or contact a
professional about a radon mitigation system.
So what is radon
mitigation? It is simply a re-routing of radon gas from the inside of
the house to the outside.
There are both active and passive radon mitigation systems - the
difference being the active mitigation system uses pipes and a fan to
expel the
radon gas and the passive mitigation system only pipes.
A common active radon
mitigation
system may consist of one or more pipes installed through the cement
slab and into the gravel below. The piping is routed outside and a
small fan in the piping "sucks" the radon gas out of the house. Plan on
a minimum of $1000 and up for such a system. You will want to get more
than one bid for a radon mitigation system for your home.
Are You
Ready To Take Action?
After
reading this article, I hope you see the need for  radon
testing in your
home. Plan your strategy, buy the radon test kit(s)that meets
your needs and begin testing. Remember
radon gas can be just as deadly for you and your family as
a house fire or carbon monoxide - the only difference is the time it
takes to do its deadly work.
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