Radon Testing:
Cory Lindbo of Western Slope Home Inspection is certified by the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) to provide professional radon testing with a continuous radon monitor. We generally place our tests for a period of 48 hours.
Radon Mitigation:
If your radon test result is 4.0 pCi/l or higher, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that you take action to reduce your home or building’s indoor radon levels. We guarantee our radon mitigation systems will lower your radon to safe levels. Start to finish, the installation process typically takes only one day.
Our Methods: For basement and slab-on-grade foundations, we install a custom-fit sub-slab depressurization system. We often use sealing techniques on any obvious radon entry routes, such as ground water sump pits, cracks in exposed basement floor or walls.
For homes or buildings with crawl spaces, we encapsulate the crawlspace with cross laminated poly radon barrier.
Radon Information:
Radon is a radioactive gas. It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and chemically inert. Unless you test for it, there is no way of telling how much is present.
Radon is formed by the natural radioactive decay of uranium in rock, soil, and water. Naturally existing, low levels of uranium occur widely in Earth’s crust. It can be found in all 50 states. Once produced, radon moves through the ground to the air above. Some remains below the surface and dissolves in water that collects and flows under the grounds surface. The Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Testing is the only way to find out your home’s radon levels.
Even very high levels can be reduced to acceptable levels. Radon has been found in homes all over the United States. Any home can have a radon problem. This means new and old homes, well-sealed and drafty homes, and homes with or without basements. In fact, you and your family are most likely to get your greatest radiation exposure at home. That is where you spend most of your time.
Frequently Questions about Radon
Provided by The Environmental Protection Agency: www.epa.gov/radon/
How does radon get into your home?
Any home may have a radon problem.
Radon is a radioactive gas. It comes from the natural decay of uranium that is found in nearly all soils. It typically moves up through the ground to the air above and into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation. Your home traps radon inside, where it can build up. Any home may have a radon problem. This means new and old homes, well-sealed and drafty homes, and homes with or without basements.
What are the health effects from exposure to radon?
There are no immediate symptoms from exposures to radon. Based on an updated Assessment of Risk for Radon in Homes (see www.epa.gov/radon/risk_assessment.html), radon in indoor air is estimated to cause about 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States. Smokers are at higher risk of developing Radon-induced lung cancer. Lung cancer is the only health effect which has been definitively linked with radon exposure. Lung cancer would usually occur years (5-25) after exposure. There is no evidence that other respiratory diseases, such as asthma, are caused by radon exposure and there is no evidence that children are at any greater risk of radon induced lung cancer than adults.
EPA Recommends
- Test your home for radon — it’s easy and inexpensive.
- Fix your home if your radon level is 4 picocuries per liter, or pCi/L, or higher.
- Radon levels less than 4 pCi/L still pose a risk, and in many cases may be reduced.
* Radon is estimated to cause about 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year, according to EPA’s 2003 Assessment of Risks from Radon in Homes (EPA 402-R-03-003). The numbers of deaths from other causes are taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2005-2006 National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Report and 2006 National Safety Council Reports.
More information can also be found at http://aarst.com (American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists.)