Healthy Home Solutions: Radon Gas

By now everyone has heard the term “Radon” on television or radio. But have you really considered what their talking about? Its that radioactive gas that seeps up through the soil and is facilitated into our homes through thermal “stacking effects”. For quite some time now the government has known about radon gas in the soils around Wisconsin and the rest of the United States but only recently have home test kits been made available that have been proven to be accurate for home use.


Since the approval of these home test kits, the EPA has been trying to get the word out to have everyone test their homes for radon gas. Recently, they were successful in having the test for radon mentioned in all real estate transaction contracts. It is important to consider testing because of the risks of lung cancer that radon poses. Because so many environmental factors such as smoking effect our bodies, it is hard to say what the increased risk of lung cancer is living in a home with elevated radon levels. The EPA estimates it causes about 14,000 deaths per year. They admit however that this figure could be as low a 7,000 or as high as 30,000. The Centers for Disease Control, the American Lung Association, and the American Medical Association have also stated that thousands of preventable lung cancer deaths every year could be avoided by testing and reducing levels of radon in the home.


I understand how many of you feel. I have thought about this long and hard. If I run a radon test in my home and find elevated results, do I technically have to disclose this information if I sell my home? A single radon kit placed in the lowest lived in level of your home is not a valid test for a real estate transaction. It is however a good indicator of what your levels are. It also may be another tool to help you further understand energy losses and air quality factors including factors other than radon in your home. If you plan to stay in the home for an extended period of time, you want to consider the health of yourself and your family and weigh the costs of the mitigation system installation and operation with the future medical costs of lung cancer and the loss of quality of life. The EPA action level for radon in the home is currently 4 pCi/L. As radon levels increase above 4, the risk of lung cancer raises incredibly. If you smoke, you can imagine the risk is even higher.


Older homes can be fixed for around $800 to $1200 with an annual operating cost of about $150. This has been shown to significantly improve the value of your home especially when a client will be demanding a radon test before the closing. New construction can be fitted for a radon system or a passive radon system can be installed for very little cost. Most of the systems on the market are subslab depressurization systems which operate by drawing the radioactive gas from beneath the basement slab or beneath a membrane placed over a crawlspace or unfinished basement floor. Any good contractor will test after the mitigation system is in to prove the radon levels are reduced to that of natural outside air.


Radon Kits are available through the mail, in hardware stores and retail outlets. The Health Department is offering free easy to use radon kits as a service to the community. These kits are designed into a pre-postage paid envelope for added convenience. If you would like one of these kits, information packets, or consultation, please contact the Environmental Health Specialist at your County Health Department or call the Radon Information Hotline toll free at 1-888-LOW-RADON (569-7236). A kit will be mailed to you. If you are interested in becoming a certified contractor to perfom real estate transfer measurement, measurement, or an installer of systems, I will provide you with that information as well. I have been through the courses and can provide you with some valuable information to get yourself started.


For Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) about Radon, go to my link http://www.environmentalhealthguy.com/faq_category.php?catID=1



Christopher A. Hinz
Environmental Health Specialist
Waushara, Green Lake, and Marquette Counties.