Q. What's the real deal with Radon, is it as bad as they say?

A. No one can force you to believe, but the facts are that Radon gas kills over 22,000 people per year. It is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and the 2nd leading cause overall. It can and has been found everywhere regardless of location or soil types, and for the cost of a test, wouldn't you want to know?

Q. Who and when should a house be tested for Radon?

A. Everyone should test for radon in their home, workplace and schools where your children spend a good part of their day. It is recommended that you retest your home every 2 years even if you have a radon mitigation system installed, and especially if you perform any major restoration, modifications, or additions to your home. If this is a home you are currently living in, test it yourself with commercially available test kits and save money. If this is a house you are buying or selling, hire a professional third party to test it, but no matter what, please test, it's the only way to know if you have a cancer causing gas in your house.

Q. How much radon is too much?

A. The US EPA has set a limit of 4.0 pCi/l as being the action limit where mitigation should begin. However the World Health Organization has recently lowered the "safe" level of radon to 2.7 pCi/l worldwide. We assume the EPA will probably follow suit on this and lower the US standard as well.

Q. How much will it cost to fix my radon problem?

A. Your cost will depend a lot on where you are in the US. Generally in New England the average price is about $1000.00 to 1500.00 for a standard sub slab depressurization system depending on the amount of materials needed and the number of suction points. Complicating factors that will increase the price include: crawl spaces with exposed dirt, multiple slabs, rock basement walls, sand beneath the slab, no aggregate beneath the slab, and pipe penetrations through fire rated walls. Once the acceptable level is achieved, we guarantee it will remain at a safe (as determined by the EPA) level.

Q. How long will it take to fix my radon problem?

A. A lot of radon mitigation work is done during real estate transactions and must be completed quickly. A typical installation job takes about 3 – 4 hours, and the retest requires two days of closed house conditions, plus two or more days for the radon test. So you can generally get your house fixed and retested in about 7 days, this includes mailing time to the lab.

Q. Are our schools safe?

A. Elevated levels of radon have been found in many schools across the country, and many of them have been successfully mitigated. Ask your local officials if your school system has been tested and if so ask to see the results. If they have not tested the schools, INSIST that they do. Our children spend many hours a day in classrooms and may be being exposed without our knowledge.

Q. Could there be radon in my water?

A. : If you have a private well water supply, there is always the chance of elevated radon in the water. It is recommended that you first test the air in the house, and if levels are high, then test the well water also. Well testing is a very specific test and should be completed by a professional and sent to a specific radon lab. Radon in well water tests cost about $100.00. Typical well water testing done at many home inspections usually do NOT include radon. Beware of water labs that send out their radon in water tests and tell you to "just fill a bowl with water and bring it in". This is bad information and you will be wasting your money, do it right and get the answers you need.

Q. What is the harm in drinking water with radon in it?

A. The problem with radon in the well water is not so much drinking it, but breathing it. Radon in water releases itself into the air you breathe at the point of use. Showers, dishwashers, washing machines, etc. agitate or aerate water and this causes it to be released into the air and the problem becomes the same as airborne radon. 10,000 pCi/l of radon in the water will add 1.0 pCi/l to the air radon.

Q. Can we fix my radon in water problem?

A. Yes, radon in well water can be fixed. We use a diffuse bubble aeration system that removes about 95% of the radon in the water. These systems are very effective and the cost of installing one runs about $4800.00.

Q. What are the phone numbers for state and federal radon information?

A. • EPA/Consumer Federation of America - Radon Fix It Line: (800) 644-6999
• EPA/National Safety Council - Radon Information Line: (800) SOS-RADON
• States: EPA phone list of state radon offices.
• US Regions: EPA phone list of regional radon offices.

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