RADONWhat is radon and how does it affect your home? Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas. Radon forms through the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water. Radonmoves up through the ground to the air above and into your home throughcracks and other holes in the foundation. Homes trap radon inside,where it can build up and be inhaled by the inhabitants. Any home mayhave a radon problem, new and old homes, well-sealed and drafty homes, as well as homes with or without basements. Why is Radon a problem? Radon gas decays into radioactive particles that can get trapped inyour lungs when you breathe. As these particles break down further,they release small bursts of energy. This can damage lung tissue and potentially lead to lung cancer over the course of your lifetime. TheEPA estimates that radon is responsible for approximately 20,000 deathsfrom lung cancer every year. Not everyone exposed to elevated levels ofradon will develop lung cancer and the amount of time between exposure and the onset of the disease may be many years. Believeit or not radon is a controversial topic and there are actually thosethat don’t even believe it exists, or that it can be harmful. Onthe other hand, here is a list of organizations that state Radon is a health threat:
Is there anything I can do? Absolutely, radon reduction systems work and they are not too costly.Some radon reduction systems can reduce radon levels in your home by upto 99%. Even very high levels can be reduced to acceptable levels. Itis not unusual to see tests in homes with mitigation systems come in below the level of the outside air. How does this work when buying a house? In Colorado Springs, we generally treat radon as an inspection issue.This means that we test for radon during the property inspection. Ifradon levels are high (4 pCi/L or higher) the installation of amitigation system becomes a negotiable item. We will discuss inspections in another section. Thecost of a Radon mitigation system can range from $1,500 to $3,000,depending on the state of the existing foundation of the home. Systemsfor newer homes tend to cost less because modern building code requiresbuilders to install perimeter or French drains around the base of ahomes foundation. This drain is intended to keep water away from thefoundation but also allows for easier installation of the radon mitigation system. Radoninfiltration is a serious condition. Even if you don’t thinkit’s harmful, chances are the next person to buy your home will. The time to address radon is before you close not when you sell. Muchof this information comes from an EPA publication named “ACitizen’s Guide to Radon” If you are interested inobtaining a free copy of this publication, Click Here and we’ll send you one. AirCheckis a compay that sells mail in radon test kits. Here is an interestingsummary they have compiled that outlines the average radon levels are in our area, by zip code:
Eastern El Paso County:
Northern El Paso County:
Central El Paso County:
Southeastern El Paso County:
Western El Paso County:
Teller County:
*According to AirCheck, this average includes a test result of 1,856pCi/L, this may or may not be an accurate reading. AirChek reports somepeople have hung test kits down mitigation exhaust pipes to check radonoutput or set kits near foundations to try to determine radon entrypoints. If the 1,856 reading is not factored in, the average in the 80906 ZIP drops to 10.6 pCi/L, according to AirChek.
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