Granite Counter Tops and Radon - Click for Commentary
Seagate Inspections, Inc. retains
no less than two licensed Radon Specilaists on staff. Contact our office for short term testing in the NW. Ohio and SE Michigan
regions.
Find: Radon Tester / Mitigation Specialist in Ohio Fill in the city where you'd like to find a tester or mitigator along with the correct information you want to
base your search on and then select submit.
What is radon?
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas found in soils, rock, and water throughout the U.S. Radon
causes lung cancer, and is a threat to health because it tends to collect in homes, sometimes to very high concentrations.
How can radon affect people's health?
Almost all risk from radon comes from breathing
air with radon and its decay products. Radon decay products cause lung cancer.
There is no safe level of radon
-- any exposure poses some risk of cancer. In two 1999 reports, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) concluded after an
exhaustive review that radon in indoor air is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. after cigarette smoking.
The NAS estimated that 15,000-22,000 Americans die every year from radon-related lung cancer.
How do I
know if there is radon in my home?
You cannot see, feel, smell, or taste radon. Testing your home is the
only way to know if you and your family are at risk from radon. EPA and the Surgeon General recommend testing for radon in
all rooms below the third floor.
Radon testing is inexpensive and easy--it should only take a few minutes of your
time. Millions of Americans have already tested their homes for radon. Various low-cost, do-it-yourself test kits are available
through the mail and in hardware stores and other retail outlets. You can also hire a trained contractor to do the testing
for you.
What can I do to protect myself and my family from radon?
The first step
is to test your home for radon, and have it fixed if it is at or above EPA's Action Level of 4 picocuries per liter. You may
want to take action if the levels are in the range of 2-4 picocuries per liter. Generally, levels can be brought to near 2.0
pCi/l fairly simply.
The best method for reducing radon in your home will depend on how radon enters your home
and the design of your home. For example, sealing cracks in floors and walls may help to reduce radon. There are also systems
that remove radon from the crawl space or from beneath the concrete floor or basement slab that are effective at keeping radon
from entering your home. These systems are simple and don't require major changes to your home. Other methods may be necessary.
People who have private wells should test their well water to ensure that radon levels meet EPA's newly proposed standard.
Why would test results differ from one test to another in the same
home?
In a sequential testing of Radon in a home (one test
after another) results can vary and will vary. There is always an uncertainty with any measurement result due to statistical variations
and other factors such as daily and seasonal variations in Radon concentration. Changes in the weather play a large part in
the test results. For example: If one test is performed under mild weather conditions and another under more extreme
weather conditions such as heavy rains and gusty winds, the results will vary. If testing is performed under conditions where
sustained high winds are present, then there is less likelihood of an accurate result.
With any test, there are variables that must be taken into account and weather
forecasts are just one of them. Additionally the operation of the dwelling as well as possible interference with the necessary
test conditions can influence test results.
For a longer time period between testing, seasonal swings in weather will also affect Radon levels in the
same home. Normally, we live under closed house conditions more of the year than not. About October we close up the house
and don't open it back up until April or May. This is a seven to eight month period where the house has a fairly stable
indoor air environment with limited influence from exterior air. Pressures on the home in this time period from outside influences
are also somewhat stable and that is why we tend to see higher Radon levels during this time. Temperature differences between
inside air and outdoor air are normally broader in this seasonal period as well and therefore the "stack-effect"
is more prominent which can lead to higher Radon levels in the home.
When testing is
performed it is done under "closed-house" conditions to more closely simulate the condition in which we live
in hour homes for most of the year. This closed-house condition is crucial in short term testing like that, which is
performed for real-estate transactions. It is recommended that a 12-hour period of closed house conditions is met prior
to the test commencing and then throughout the testing so as to minimize outside influences.
We recognize that
the Radon levels in any home will fluctuate over time. In the event of a reading over 4.0 pCi/l one time and a reading
under 4.0 pCi/l the next you be assured that there is a 50% chance that home's indoor Radon levels can be higher than the
EPA 4.0 pCi/l action level or lower than the EPA action level. Keep in mind there is no "safe" level of Radon
exposure and it is a personal decision as to how much exposure you want you or your family to live with.
For more information see the links below:
To watch a short video on Radon
Mitigation Systems click on the link: HGTV - Radon Mitigation System
For more information, read the EPA's
Home Buyer's and Seller's Guide To Radon and How to Find a Qualified Radon Service Professional in Your Area.
The above information is provided as a public service by the Environmental Protection Agency for
educational purposes.
