Hello to all in Louisville and southern Indiana! And hello to anybody else out there who would like to know more about radon. There is plenty of confusing information out there, and we encounter clients all the time who are on the extremes of the issue from, "it's snake oil" to "I don't want any radon in my house, or I'll die."
As you would expect (I hope), we have done our own research by reviewing available data and long-term studies to decide whether to get into the radon testing business. After all, a company who performs questionable testing for clients is automatically suspect in my book, and I wanted to make sure that if we were to offer this service that it really is a value to the client.
The data regarding radon is overwhelming in its conclusion: radon gas can cause lung cancer, and elevated levels of radon show a marked increase in lung cancer. The results for smokers is even more dire, and the effects of radon combined with the effects of smoking are not merely additive but exponential.
We encourage you to do your own research, but shy away from sites that appear to be all doom and gloom or all sunshine and lollipops. The great thing about radon is that it is easily mitigated, and the cost of mitigation has continued to come down.
One of the better sites is the EPAs radon site at www.epa.gov/radon. I am not a huge fan of the EPA's policies, but this site gives a pretty evenhanded assessment of radon gas.
On the website you can look for a link to your state and see whether it has a higher likelihood of having elevated radon levels (if you are in Kentucky, just go to our website at www.HTLouisville.com and click the "radon" link). Short story- the areas around Louisville has elevated levels of radon, mostly due to the uranium deposits far beneath the surface. Radon is a byproduct of uranium decay, and it seeps upward from the ground.
Next week we will look at why radon levels are elevated in homes and what can be done about it.
If you are purchasing a home in the Louisville area (including Oldham county, or Floyd county or Clark county), it is a good idea to get a radon test. They end up being high over half the time, and the seller usually pays for mitigation. If you don't test, and then when you sell the house does get tested, the next buyer may test and THEN you end up having to pay for somebody else's mitigation system! Even if it is low it's a good thing to do since it gives you peace of mind.
Until next week,
Brian
HomeTeam Inspection of Louisville, KY
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