How Does Radon Testing Work?

Table of Content

• How to find a radon testing professional
• Q. What do you do if you test positive for radon?
• Does radon cause cancer?
• What to Consider When Choosing a Radon Test Kit
• Now You Know What Radon Is, Is Radon Testing Required to Sell a Home?
• What do I do if my results show unsafe radon levels?
• Q. How does a radon test work?

Follow the instructions for leaving the kit in your house for the required number of days. HomeGo may utilize the services of an affiliated real estate brokerage to transact home purchases. Any reference to a licensed real estate agent is meant to imply an agent representing HomeGo and its affiliates as a principal buyer. Any agents referenced do not represent you as a home seller.

Risks from radon are cumulative, which means serious effects result from exposure to high levels over a long period of time. It is prudent to test radon levels and decide on a course of action. But you don’t have to move out of your house or hire the first contractor who can fix the problem. A radon mitigation system involves ventilating your home by using PVC piping to draw radon gas up from the soil and out of your house, according to the EPA.

How to find a radon testing professional

Your neighbor’s radon level may differ substantially from yours. Radon poisoning is just one of the ways your house may be making you sick. Examples of passive detector devices include charcoal liquid scintillation, electret ion, alpha track, and charcoal canisters. The Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Office of the Surgeon General recommend that we test homes for radon every two years. The need for testing is even more important if you plan to build, sell, or purchase a new home.

If you smoke, quitting is still the best way to reduce your risk of lung cancer. If levels are still high, consider installing a radon mitigation system yourself or hire a pro. We picked Atlantic Real Estate Services for a new sump pump and radon pump because Tommy the owner was the one who came to our house and did all the work. At the lab, the sodium iodide counter counts the radioactive particles transmitted by the charcoal. Short-term testing can take 2–90 days and long-term testing takes more than 90 days. The exact length of time for testing depends on the specific test.

Q. What do you do if you test positive for radon?

Without hiring a professional, one way to know if you’re at risk of radon gas exposure is by using a radon tester to measure the levels in your home. Contact your state radon office or one of EPA’s national radon proficiency programs to find a qualified professionalexternal iconto fix your home. Lowering high radon levels requires technical knowledge and special skills. Contractors who do not specialize in radon reduction could make the problem worse.

To search for a licensed and certified radon contractor in your area. With the right detailed and accurate information, you can make an informed decision for your peace of mind protection against radon in your home. You have a mitigation system installed but have never had it serviced and have not conducted any follow up testing in over 2 years. Home seller discloses that the home was never tested for radon. For homebuyers who can’t afford to buy their home in cash, a mortgage is a necessity.

Does radon cause cancer?

They don’t have to take long, and they’re quite affordable when bundled with a standard home inspection. According to HomeAdvisor, a radon test typically adds $90 to $250 to the cost of an inspection, which is far less than the $444 average price of a stand-alone radon measurement. Costs vary depending on the radon risk level in your region and the square footage of your home.

It’s important to note that there is no such thing as a “safe” level of radon - the safest level of exposure is no exposure, even though radon is fairly common to encounter. There is something nefarious lurking in your basement … maybe. It is odorless, colorless, and you can’t taste it, yet it could be slowly killing you.

Keep in mind that an estimated 21,000 radon-related cases of lung cancers come from an average indoor level of 1.3 pCi/L - an even lower concentration. A. The recommendation is that you should test every one to two years if you suspect that you may have a radon problem. As mentioned, the EPA also recommends that every time you test you do two back-to-back tests in order to produce a decent average. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that radon causes some 21,000 lung cancer deaths a year in the U.S. alone. For some people exposed to radon through their jobs, like uranium miners, millers and transporters, the US government has established the Radiation Exposure Compensation Program. It offers compensation for lung cancer and some other lung diseases to people who qualify.

For White miners, the study expected to find about 64 deaths based on the states’ death rates for men. And non-white uranium miners had a lung cancer death rate three times that of the states’ death rates. Working with our team of certified and licensed radon mitigation specialists is imperative to ensure the radon levels in your home are properly managed. A poorly installed system could not only fail to reduce the radon levels in your home, but in some cases have been found to make radon levels worsen. Short-term radon test kits must sit out for anywhere from 24 hours to a week to build up a radon reading.

How does the radon testing process work?

Acting as a sort of vacuum, a mitigation system has an activated fan and pipe structure that sucks the air out from under your home and releases it above your roofline, out of harm’s way. What 4.0 pCi/L means is that at a test result of 4, the risk of exposure outweighs the cost to install a mitigation system. This action level is different in other countries and is mostly a benchmark to understand the comparison between assumed risk and cost. A. Yes, you should if you fear that you might have elevated radon levels. Radon can seep up through a number of typical housing features, including exposed pipes, so you should be testing the lowest level that you live in.

Once the alpha-track radon test kit has been in place for the manufacturer’s suggested time period, the homeowner removes it and sends it to a lab for testing. Radon testing is the only way to know whether your home has high levels of radon, a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer over time. Here's what you need to know about radon testing and reducing radon levels in your home. Active radon testing devices require electricity and continuous monitoring devices. These devices detect and record radon levels and their byproducts continuously. They are more expensive and require a certified professional tester to install and operate.