Unlike asbestos and lead, radon is not an environmental risk that we have introduced by mistake into our homes. It occurs naturally from the breakdown of uranium in the soil in the form of gas which cannot be smelled. It seeps into your home from cracks and openings and can build up if it is not ventilated from the home and is then breathed by your family. It is estimated to cause 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States.

Safe Radon level

The answer to what is a safe radon level is: none. However, even the outdoor air has some radon level so you cannot expect to have a reading of zero radon level at all but with remediation should have a goal of achieving a reading of 2 pCI/L. Picocuries per liter is designed as pCL/L. The government has set a level of 4.0 pCL/L as an "acceptable" level. Most real estate radon inspections are based on this 4.0 pCL/L level but you do not have to accept this as the base level for remediation especially if there are any bedroom areas in the basement or your family will be spending a large part of your time there. The basement area will generally have the highest level of radon concentration which is dissipated as the gas circulates upwards in your home.

Testing for Radon

You can buy a home test for radon at a hardware store. These tests generally last for 2 to 3 days. However because radon levels vary with the seasons and actually from day to day, these short term tests are less likely to establish the year round average or to find the highest and lowest readings of radon in your home. Most radon testing by certified companies for home sales still involve short term testing although their devices are more sophisticated. You must follow instructions carefully to get as accurate a reading as possible. Open doors or windows and even the outside weather can affect your radon levels. Professional radon testing as part of a home sale generally runs around $300.

Remediation of Radon

The basic idea of radon remediation is removal of radon by ventilation by fans or pipes and working to prevent entry by sealing cracks and entry points. Most home remediation I have seen cost less than $1500.

Radon Inspection paragraphs

The standard radon inspection paragraph is based on the buyer submitting a radon repair estimate if the testing shows an average of 4.0 pCL/L. The cost of remediation is left up to agreement of seller and buyer. The contract can be cancelled if the seller and buyer cannot agree to sharing the costs. However, I offer my clients the following suggestions for modification of the standard radon inspection paragraphs:

*based remediation not solely on the average but as long as the highest reading does not exceed 8.0 pCL/L even if the average is 4.0 pCL/L or less.

*allow the buyer the absolute right to cancel the contract if the average pCL/L reading exceeds a certain level without the need to submit a repair amendment or if the highest reading exceeds 8.0 pCL/L.

*specifically allow the buyer to have a retest following remediation with the cost of retest subject to sharing by the parties or paid for by the seller. Require the retest to show an average reading of 2.0 pCL/L or less. Generally, the initial test is always paid for by the buyer.

*specify a level less than 4.0 pCL/L if the basement area contains bedrooms or family areas.

Educate yourself about Radon

The purpose of this website is only to briefly discuss the radon issue in the context of a home sale or purchase and to direct the home seller or buyer to more complete sources. The EPA has several publications on radon including A Citizens Guide to Radon EPA 402 K 02 006 and a Consumer's Guide to Radon Reduction 402 K 02 002. You can find and download these publications at the publication site for the Federal government, EPA, located at:

http://nepis.epa.gov/EPA/html/Pubs/pubtitle.htm

Use you Search Page tool to find the publications dealing with radon. You can also conduct a general internet search on radon.