Radon Gas isPrevalent
Radon Gas Can Enter Your Home Through:
- Sump pumps
- Cracks in basement foundations
- Cracks in basement floors
- Cracks in crawl space foundations
- Dirt floors in crawl spaces
- Abandoned plumbing pipes
According to the EPA, radon gas is one of the leading causes of lung cancer, exceeded only by cigarette smoking. Similar to smoking, radon is a long-term health threat. Variables include the exposure level and the length of exposure.
The Center for Disease Control estimates that living in a home with a radon level of 4.0 pico curies per liter (pCi/L) is equivalent to smoking ten cigarettes daily.
According to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Bond, Madison, Montgomery, and Macoupin counties have an average radon level between 2.0 and 3.9 pCi/L. Clinton, Fayette, Jersey, Monroe, and St Clair counties have an average level of 4.0 pCi/L or higher.
The EPA also lists over half of Franklin, Jefferson, St Charles, and St Louis counties in Missouri as having radon levels of 4.0 pCi/L or higher.
A Radon Safe Home
Testing for Radon gas is inexpensive and non-intrusive. When possible, the test is started two to three days before the home inspection, allowing us to give preliminary results at the inspection. Because we handle both the home inspection and the radon testing, we can limit the number of trips we make to the seller’s home.
Our radon inspectors are licensed by the state of Illinois and members of the MidWest American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists, MWAARST.
We use continuous radon measurement instruments (CRM) that give an hourly radon count. Hourly readings allow us to identify situations such as severe storms that may affect test results. When anomalies are observed, we will retest at no additional charge.
The EPA requires radon tests for residential real estate transactions to be conducted in the lowest livable area of a home and must last at least 48 hours. A test must also be performed on each type of foundation, and additional tests are required if the total foundation area is 2000 square feet or more.
We will email the radon test results with the home inspection, termite inspection, and other reports the following day.
