If it seems like we’re really trying to drive the point home that every residence or business – schools included – should be tested for radon regularly then great! That’s exactly what we’re trying to do, but only because it is absolutely necessary for the commonwealth.

Elevated radon can be found anywhere, regardless of the structure or location. The only way to know for sure whether or not there is a presence, is to run a test.

Elevated Radon Levels Found at Wilton High

Recently, elevated radon levels were detected in the athletic director’s office at Wilton High School, in Connecticut. According to Cardno ATC the radon levels in the athletic director’s office measured 7.4 pCi/L – superintendent Gary Richards shared the testing results at a May 8 board of education meeting. For comparison, the US Environmental Protection Agency has set a recommended exposure limit, also called the “action level,” at 4.0 pCi/L. In other words, if levels are found to be above that limit then the affected area should be deemed a hazardous environment and mitigation is absolutely necessary.

Cardno ATC also released a report on their testing, which further states, “no other results for the radon re-evaluation air samples in Wilton High School were above the EPA recommended action level of 4.0 pCi/L.”

The report also states that Cider Mill and Middlebrook both of which were found to have levels below the recommended limit.

The radon testing was actually conducted from March 5-7 by Neal Freuden of Cardno ATC, a licensed radon measurement provider and qualified Connecticut school testing professional. During testing air samples were collected from 10% of the most occupied rooms in the school that come into contact with the ground. In total, thirteen rooms were tested at Wilton, 13 at Cider Mill and eleven at Middlebrook.

The next step for the school district is to hire a licensed radon mitigation professional to help remove the presence of radon in the affected area of the school.

How is This News Relevant?

It just helps to solidify the fact that all residences should be tested for the presence of radon. It doesn’t matter where you live or what kind of structure you live – or work – in. Radon can seep into any home, school or building. Newer homes often have radon resistance features built-in but that doesn’t make it impossible for the deadly gas to seep inside – it can still happen.

Long-term exposure to radon is what causes the most damage. Furthermore the longer a person spends in a radon polluted environment the higher the chances that they will get cancer. This is one of those problems that you’re better off detecting, and fixing early.

If you haven’t already tested your residence for the presence of radon, do so in the near future.

Via: Wilton Bulletin

Everyone should test their home for radon at least once throughout the year – although we encourage testing a lot more than that. Problem is, some folks don’t know how to get their hands on testing equipment and others fear what may or may not happen should elevated levels be discovered in their residence.

How Deadly is Radon?

Image by Clean Energy Works

You cannot see, smell or even taste radon. The only way to know whether or not it exists inside your home is to perform a test specifically designed to detect it. Worse yet, radon levels can fluctuate throughout the year, depending on where you live. That means during certain seasons there may be higher levels of radon inside your home. This is why we recommend testing at least two to three times a year.

It is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States right behind first-hand tobacco smoke. Believe it or not, second-hand tobacco smoke is the third leading cause. Furthermore, there are an estimated 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year attributed to radon exposure. That should put things into perspective and give you some idea as to how dangerous radon truly is.

Clean Energy Works Offering a New Radon Testing and Mitigation Program to Oregon Residents

Clean Energy Works, Oregon’s largest non-profit provider of home performance upgrades, recently announced a comprehensive radon testing and mitigation option available to all homeowners in the state. In other words, Clean Energy aims to simplify the entire process for homeowners by walking them through testing and mitigation step-by-step. You can get started by ordering a radon test through the CWE website.

Once a homeowner receives a testing kit they must place it somewhere in their residence on a shelf or “out-of-the-way-location” so that it can absorb and collect an untainted air sample. The completed test must then be sealed and mailed to a lab – a pre-paid shipping label is included with the test so don’t worry – where the results will be analyzed and sent back. Along with the testing results the lab will offer recommendations and support, describing everything that can be seen. They will tell you if there are dangerous levels of radon in your home and whether or not you should pay for mitigation.

Clean Energy home performance advisors will then discuss the test results with the homeowner and aid them in taking action if it is deemed necessary. When mitigation is required, Clean Energy will recommend the homeowner to licensed radon mitigation professionals.

Derek Smith, the CEO of Clean Energy Works says that the company is concerned with the quality of life for Oregon citizens.

“Whole home performance means evaluating and tuning your home up in much the same way you tune up your car. Adding radon testing and mitigation to our suite of services means Oregon homes will be more comfortable, healthier and more efficient—in short, they will work better for the people who live in them.”

Clean Energy also helps homeowners improve their living conditions by offering green energy upgrades to a home. That however, is completely unrelated to radon, testing or mitigation of the deadly gas.

The good news is that if you are unsure how to proceed, or even where to begin you can turn to Clean Energy for help. All Oregon residents should test their home and install mitigation systems if elevated levels are found.

Via: Clean Energy Works

Image by RoSPA

Radon plagues nearly 1 in 15 homes in the US. We’ve said it many times before, but we’ll say it again – it’s also the second leading cause of lung cancer right behind smoking. The gas is odorless, colorless and tasteless – not that you would want to taste it anyway – and is seemingly impossible to detect other than with a certified testing kit.

For the most part it seeps into a home through cracks in the foundation, walls or floor. Most modern homes have been designed to include radon resistant features, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are completely protected. Just the fact that homes are insulated so well, means the gas is trapped inside a home once it gets inside.

Radon is likely not the only hidden danger in your home, however.

Of course, there are other gases you need to worry about like Carbon Monoxide. Carbon Monoxide is often produced when fossils fuels are burned – which means it can come from a barbecue grill, gas-powered generator or even a heating system. It is responsible for more than 400 deaths every year in the United States, and more than 20,000 emergency room visits. Just like radon it can be monitored using a simple detector or test kit.

What are a couple of other common dangers hidden in your home?

Water

Believe it or not, open backyard pools are the leading cause of death for small children aged 14 or younger. In the blink of an eye a small child can wander into areas of the home they’re not supposed to be, and the backyard is not an exception.

If you have an open pool – and small children – you should consider installing a child-proof fence around it. Even shallow pools or small wading pools can be a danger. You should take action to protect your children from open water, because you never know what can happen. Even a portable pool can be a potential danger, always drain them when your children have finished playing.

Between 1995 and 2005, 147 children under the age of 6 drowned at a residential location.

Garden

It’s difficult to imagine a beautiful garden posing a threat, but it’s actually pretty common. You’d be surprised at how many common plants and flowers are toxic and deadly when ingested. Curious pets or small children could easily wander into a garden and sample something that looks bright and colorful – not knowing that it will severely harm them.

For instance, Castor Bean Plants are quite common among gardeners yet the beans actually contain a toxic ricin. If a small child or pet were to ingest one of the beans none the wiser, they would die quickly.

Water Hemlock is another common plant that is incredibly deadly. Always research the plants you nurture in your garden. If you do, in fact decide to grow something potentially dangerous be sure to keep your garden locked away and inaccessible to small children.

There is Much More

We’ve only listed a couple common dangers that may be lurking in your home, but make no mistake about it – there are plenty more. Tons of things can be lurking nearby such as old wiring, exposed electrical sockets, household chemicals, fire hazards and the list goes on. Be sure to monitor your home for these dangers, especially when you have small children exploring the vicinity.

One of the million dollar questions when it comes to radon is: what can you do about the deadly gas if you are planning to buy or sell a home? This question is incredibly relevant now, thanks to the recent surge in real estate. The buying season will soon be here.

To help out, we’re going to approach this as a step-by-step guide in two parts: one for the buyer and the other for the seller.

Step 1: Stay Informed

The first thing any homer buyer or seller needs to do is become knowledgeable on radon. There are tons of resources available – including many on this very site.

One must understand where radon comes from, what kind of dangers its presence can cause and more importantly how to mitigate a problem. Associated costs should also be explored when it comes to testing and removing radon from a home. It is very important that you are not afraid to take action, when it is necessary.

Sellers should educate all buyers about radon before a transaction is complete. That includes offering additional information and resources so that the buyer can become familiar with the problem at hand. As a buyer, it is okay to explore this information right along with the seller. If they do not offer you resources and links, you should seek out this information on your own.

Step 2: Collect All Related Information

As a buyer it is very important that you collect any past data on completed tests, and mitigation procedures. If no testing has been completed, that is also important and you should consider having one done before moving into a home.

Adversely, as a seller you should be prepared to disclose this information with any and all interested parties. At the very least you may have to test your home before a transaction can be completed. It is important that you understand this will not harm an ongoing real estate transaction in any way. If mitigation is required, the cost to implement it may be factored into the purchase price of the home by the buyer. That being said, you are under no obligation to pay for mitigation yourself.

Step 3: Take Action

This is primarily for the buyer, and it only really matters if the house in question has been shown to have elevated levels of radon. Before moving into a home with high radon levels, you will need to lower them – it is not safe at all to be exposed to it. This may mean waiting for an extended period of time before you can actually move in, especially if you are in the middle of a transaction.

Mitigation does not take very long and it is not costly. The most expensive methods run no more than $4,000, and that’s at the absolute extreme. General mitigation can cost anywhere from $1,500-2,500. That’s not a bad price at all and since radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the US, it just might save your life and your family’s life.

If you’re interested in more information on radon and real estate transactions you can pay a visit to the dedicated EPA page.

Image by SWAT Environmental

We’re constantly encouraging you to test your home and business for the presence of radon, and along with that we give plenty of reasons why. Radon exposure is, after all the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. It claims the lives of more than 20,000 each year, resulting directly in one of many fatal forms of lung cancer.

If you have explored our site, then you probably know all of this already. What you rarely get to see is an example of radon testing working out for the best. Since radon is odorless, and invisible the only way to detect its presence is to test the air specifically for it. Many folks do not want to deal with the associated hassle or cost incurred when it comes to radon testing and mitigation, and as such it can be difficult to make people like that see the error of their ways.

Robin Kolec, the owner of Robin’s Family Home Daycare in Chicago, attended a radon seminar through the Lake County Home Daycare Network. During the seminar, participants were educated on the dangers of radon and they were also brought up to speed on all of the latest radon regulations. The law actually requires daycare centers – or homes operating as one – to test for radon at least once every three years. Robin’s daycare actually ended up testing positive for elevated levels of radon, and as such she won mitigation support through the seminar.

Radon Can Enter Any Building

One thing most people don’t realize is that radon can seep into every building including businesses, schools, public areas and even homes. To reiterate, you can even find radon in daycare centers like it was discovered in Robin’s.

Robin spoke up about her experience, and had the following to share:

“Living in my house with my family, of course I was a little surprised and concerned to find that our levels were over the safe limit. I’d heard of radon, but I didn’t know how it could get into your house. I certainly did not know it was the second leading cause of lung cancer.”

Eileen Lowery, the senior director of programs at the Respiratory Health Association, says that mitigation – even after test results show elevated radon levels – is not required by law.

“To apply for new or to renew licenses, daycare providers are required to post the most recent measurable levels of radon for parents and caregivers to see, at this time they’re not required to mitigate. However, we still encourage daycare providers and home owners to contact a licensed professional mitigation [contractor] if tests show that there are unsafe levels of radon in a home. No child’s health should be put at risk when an oftentimes simple home improvement can protect them.”

Radon Mitigation Will Alleviate a Problem

There are many different types of mitigation available, but the right one to implement will depend on the layout of the affected home or structure. One of the most common forms of mitigation makes use of a pipe and fan system working in tandem. The pipe is extended from underneath the home to the outside, and a fan moves the deadly gas from below the home through the ventilation pipe and into the outside air. In addition, the pipe exit must be located above ground level so that others are not affected by concentrated radon that is being ventilated.

Testing and mitigation methods are not expensive, especially when you consider the health benefits of clean air in a residence. Exposure to elevated radon can be detrimental to one’s health, and that is a fact.

Long story short, spend some much needed time to test your residence or business for the presence of radon. Robin Kolec was grateful for the seminar itself and the mitigation help she received as a result.

“I learned a lot, and I know that the parents feel assured that I’m doing what’s necessary to take care of their children.”

Radon exposure and tobacco smoke together significantly increase the risk of lung cancer. As Dr. Ellen Hahn says, professor at the University of Kentucky’s colleges of nursing and health, the deadly combination is the “triple crown of lung cancer.”

Lung cancer is one of the most deadly forms of the disease, it actually has the highest mortality rate. When you stop for a moment and consider why lung cancer would be so fatal It makes sense. After all, there are a few organs the body could never function without and the lungs are one of them.

The bigger problem is that most people know and understand about the correlation between tobacco smoke and lung cancer. Few are aware that exposure to radon can cause lung cancer even in non-smokers, and that it heightens the risk in smokers.

There is no hiding from it, however. Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, right behind smoking. Believe it or not, second-hand smoke is the third leading cause, meaning radon exposure is much more dangerous and prominent.

Dr. Hahn is conducting a study which she hopes will boost awareness about radon exposure and tobacco smoke. The overall plan is to reduce the combination of radon exposure and smoking in homes. She also wants to discuss mitigation, and smoking plans – encouraging others to smoke outside instead of in – with those surveyed.

Dr. Hahn has made it clear that legislators need to address the problem, and that more laws should be put in place to prevent radon exposure.

“The radon laws nationally are pretty weak. There are some states that lead the pack, like Illinois, because people have advocated for laws there. But I think it’s just a matter of the policy keeping up with the science. It’s not until relatively recently that the science of radon risk has been indisputable. But we know now that it’s a leading cause of lung cancer and we need to disseminate that information.”

Dr. Hahn suggests that federal tax incentives might push homeowners and parties to reduce the risk of radon exposure in their homes.

What’s really sad is that lung cancer – in relation to radon exposure – can be prevented easily through mitigation. Setting up a reduction system in any home is not expensive, especially when you consider the health benefits. As an estimate it will likely run homeowners anywhere from $500 – $2,500 depending on the system installed.

As Dr. Hahn says, “there’s so much you can do to prevent lung cancer, but with radon, you can’t fix it if you don’t know you have a problem.”

If you’d like to read more about Dr. Hahn’s study you can visit the University of Kentucky research page.

Since radon induced lung cancer kills over 20,000 Americans each year, we highly recommend reading more about the dangers associated with it by exploring the site. Here, you’ll find lots of information on radon testing, mitigation, levels and even contractor services. If you’d like to compare available radon testing products you can also do that here.