Putting It Into Perspective - The Potential Benefits Of Radon Mitigation
Whenever you buy a new home, it's important to have it tested for radon, especially if it's located in one of the northern states where radon is particularly prevalent. This is because approximately one in fifteen houses in the U.S. have levels of radon that indicate an increased risk for health problems, including lung cancer.
Reduces Lung Cancer Risk
Radon exposure is the second most common cause of lung cancer after smoking. The higher the level of radon in the home, the higher the risk, with smokers having an even higher risk than nonsmokers. For example, at 4 pCi/L, which is the radon level that indicates a need for some type of radon mitigation in the home, about 7 nonsmokers per 1,000 may get lung cancer, but in smokers, this increases to 62 per 1,000 people.
Most Effective Methods
There are a number of radon mitigation methods available, with the combination of methods necessary to limit radon varying from house to house. Each house is a unique situation, so what works best in one house may not be right for another. A temporary way to get rid up of to 90 percent of the radon in the home is simply to keep open all of the basement or lowest level windows to ventilate the home. Of course, this doesn't usually work for a long term solution, as it can greatly increase heating and cooling costs. The next step is often to seal any cracks that are visible in the flooring and to cover any dirt flooring. The tighter the home is sealed up, the better many of the radon mitigation methods work. Either forced ventilation or heat recovery ventilation can be a good choice for many homes, achieving up to a 90 percent reduction in radon. The heat recovery ventilation system will help to minimize the loss of hot or cold air by between 50 and 80 percent compared to forced ventilation, but it tends to cost more at $800 to $2,500 compared to $25 to $1,000 for a forced air system, according to Iowa State University.
Importance of Retesting
Once radon mitigation measures have been put into place, it's important to retest the radon levels in the home to make sure that they have been lowered to the EPA's recommended levels of 2 pCi/L or less. This testing should take place between one and 30 days after activating the new radon mitigation system, and then again every two years after this to make sure the levels are still within the recommended range. Visit a company like American Home Radon Services Inc. for more information about radon mitigation.
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