DANA WILSON HOME INSPECTION SERVICES LLC
Bolton, MA 774-275-4828
Dana Wilson is a member of The American Association of Scientist and Technologists (AARST) Certification #107826
Dana has been testing homes and buildings for over 25 years.
- RADON
- WHAT IT IS
- WHERE TO PLACE TEST KITS
- EXAMPLES
THIS BLOG IS INTENDED TO BE A GUIDE TO RADON!
What is Radon?
Radon is an invisible, cancer-causing, radioactive gas created during the natural breakdown of uranium in rocks and soils. It's found in nearly all soils. It typically moves up through the ground and seeps into your home through small openings. You can't see, smell or taste Radon. When you breathe Radon your at risk of lung cancer (2nd leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking cigarettes).
Radon is an invisible, cancer-causing, radioactive gas created during the natural breakdown of uranium in rocks and soils. It's found in nearly all soils. It typically moves up through the ground and seeps into your home through small openings. You can't see, smell or taste Radon. When you breathe Radon your at risk of lung cancer (2nd leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking cigarettes).
Radon is estimated to cause thousands of lung cancer deaths in the U.S. each year.
Where does Radon come from?
Radon comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil and rock and gets into the air you breathe. It moves through the ground and into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation where it can accumulate to unsafe levels. Radon can also enter your home through well water and building materials like sandstone foundations and rock/masonry fireplaces.
How does Radon get in?
Radon is a gas, it can seep up from the ground into the air in a
house. The most common way that radon enters your house is through the basement floor and basement. The vulnerable areas are: cracks and openings in basement floors, cracks in the foundation walls, openings at waste and floor drains, sump pumps, basements/crawlspaces with exposed soil and well water.
What types of homes are at risk of Radon infiltration?
Radon can be found all over the U.S. It should be understood that the type of construction has nothing to do with Radon infiltration. If Radon is prevalent underground or in building products in your home, building, school or office the type of construction won't matter. The age of the home (new or old) does not matter. Radon is what it is, and it can infiltrate any type of building.
How to test for Radon?
Testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk from radon. Testing is inexpensive and easy. There are short term tests (48 to 96 hours is a typical short term ACCUSTAR test) and long term tests (more than 90 days). There are several types of test devices. Continuous Monitor, E-Perm, Charcoal Canister, Small Glass/Plastic Vials called Radon Gas Test Kits and Alpha Track Detectors are readily available and also a popular way to test.
Choosing the right device for you.
Any of the test devices listed above are suitable for testing your home. So what is the difference? Some of the test devices are only rated for short term testing, and some for long term testing. While they are all good reliable devices; the Radon Gas Test Kit (ACCUSTAR) is popular here in Massachusetts. I highly recommend the Continuous Monitor (obtained by hiring a Radon Testing Company, Dana Wilson Home Inspection Services LLC) and lastly if you want a long term test I highly recommend the Alpha Track (typically left in your home for several months to get a feel the levels during Radon Infiltration fluctuations at different times of the year and different weather conditions, typically not used for a real estate transaction). Testing for Radon in the water is also good idea and can be done during well water quality tests, with a radon in air test or a stand alone test.
Getting ready for the test.
If you purchased a kit; follow the instructions that come with it. Close your windows and outside doors and keep them
closed as much as possible during the test (normal coming and going are obviously acceptable).
You can operate heating and air-conditioning system fans normally; however, systems that bring air in from outdoors (window air conditioners) should not be used. Fans that are part of a radon-reduction system should be on 12 hours before the test and through the testing period (the Radon fan typically run continuously). If you are doing
a short-term test lasting just 2 or 3 days, be sure to close your
windows and outside doors at least 12 hours before beginning the test. You should not
conduct short-term tests lasting just 2 or 3 days during unusually
severe storms or periods of unusually high winds.
Radon
Test Device Placement
EPA recommends that the test
device(s) be placed in the lowest level of the home
that could be used regularly,
whether it is finished or unfinished. Conduct the test
in any space that could be used by
the buyer as a bedroom, play area, family room,
den, exercise room, or workshop.
Based on their client’s intended use of the space,
the qualified testing professional should
identify the appropriate test location and
Inform their client/buyer.
Do not test in a basement with a dirt floor, adjacent to an open crawlspace, closet, stairway,
hallway, crawl space or in an enclosed area of high
humidity or high air velocity. An enclosed area
may include a kitchen, bathroom,
laundry room or furnace room.
Place the kit at least 22 inches
above the floor in a location where it won't be subject to drafts, heat
ducts, high heat, high humidity, 12 inches away from exterior walls, 36
inches away doors and windows, hvac vents and 4 inches away from objects. If using the ACCUSTAR Liquid scintillation vials they should be set side by side.
The two main sources for the radon in your home are from soil (under your home and/or building materials, and the water supply (private on lot water supply). Radon entering your home through water is usually in less amounts than radon entering your home through the soil; however, it is still considered a risk. If you've tested your private well and have a radon in water problem, it can be fixed. Your home's water supply can be treated in two ways. Point-of-entry treatment can effectively remove radon from the water before it enters your home. Point-of-use treatment devices remove radon from your water at the tap.
What is a safe level?
You are shooting for as low a level of radon as possible; however, less than 4 pCi/L is the standard throughout the United States. The average indoor radon level in America is estimated to be about 1.3 pCi/L, and
about 0.4 pCi/L in the outside air. However, many believe that any radon exposure carries some risk and that no
level is safe. Even radon levels below 4 pCi/L pose risk. Remember its not just the level radon - you have to factor in the time of exposure as well.
Radon Gas Infiltration fluctuates.
Radon infiltration into your home/building will naturally fluctuate minute by minute, hour by hour and day to day. During times of adverse weather conditions, radon testing should not be performed; fluctuations can be extreme under these conditions and may result in misleading test results. However, I do believe that any time a radon level is high, whether during adverse weather conditions or not, the fact remains the house has a Radon problem and the potential for health risks exist. After all, we are still living in this environment during these peaks and valleys. Therefore, we are at risk of being exposed to high levels of Radon.
Radon remediation/reduction systems can be installed relativity inexpensively; $600.00 to $1200.00 may be considered an average cost, depending on where you live and the complexity of the installation. Remediation - reduction systems can reduce radon levels in your home - even very high levels can be reduced. The typical Radon system looks like the picture below.
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| Typical Radon System |
BE SAFE AND PROACTIVE
- Buyers often ask if a home has been tested, and if elevated levels were reduced.
- Buyers frequently want a radon test.
- Buyers might want to know the radon levels in areas of the home (like a basement they plan to finish).
DOING A SHORT‑TERM TEST BY EPA STANDARDS...
If you are testing for the purpose of a real estate transaction and you need results quickly, either of the following two options for short-term tests are acceptable in determining whether the home should be fixed. Any real estate test for radon should include steps to prevent or detect interference with the test device.
Two short‑Term Testing Options
Passive:Take two short-term tests at the same
time in the same location for at least
48 hours. This is the typical 2 plastic vials (ACCUSTAR) set side by side.
Active:
Test the home with a continuous
monitor for at least 48 hours.
What to Do Next
Fix the home if the test result is 4 pCi/L or more.
IN ADDITION, THE MINIMUM LENGTH OF TIME A RADON TEST SHOULD BE EXPOSED IS 48 HOURS AS PER ACCUSTAR INSTRUCTIONS AND EPA GUIDELINES. A QUICK SPOT TEST WITH A HANDHELD DEVICE or a MACHINE left in the basement for an hour or so IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.
The following conditions shall be complied with during closed-building conditions:
A) Operation of permanently installed HVAC systems shall continue during closed-building conditions. Radon Measurement licensees shall inform the resident in writing that operation of dryers, range hoods, bathroom fans and other mechanical systems that draw air out of the building may adversely affect the measurement results.
B) In buildings having permanently installed radon mitigation systems, the mitigation system shall be functioning 24 hours before and during the measurement interval.
C) Air conditioning systems that recycle interior air may be operated during closed-building conditions.
D) All windows shall be kept closed and all external doors shall be closed except for normal entry and exit.
E) Whole-house fans shall not be operated. Portable window fans shall be removed from the window or sealed in place. Window air conditioning units shall only be operated in a recirculating mode. If the building contains an air handling system, the air handling system shall not be set for continuous operation unless the air handling equipment is specifically used for radon control and is so labeled.
F) Fireplaces or combustion appliances, except water heaters and cooking appliances, shall not be operated unless they are the primary sources of heat for the building.
G) Ceiling fans, portable dehumidifiers, portable humidifiers, portable air filters and window air conditioners shall not be operated within 20 feet of the detector.
H) Short-term measurements of less than 96 hours shall not be conducted during severe storms or periods of sustained high winds (30 miles per hour or more). The National Weather Service defines a severe storm as a storm that generates winds of 58 mph and/or ¾-inch diameter hail and that may produce tornadoes.
DANA WILSON HOME INSPECTION SERVICES LLC
978-831-7363
774-275-4828
