January is radon awareness month and, although I have written about it before, the importance of radon testing hit close to home last month.
As a favor I performed a radon screening on my in-laws’ home in Dahlonega. To my surprise, the test results came back 43.9 picoCuries per liter of air (pCi/L). This reading is 2 1/2 times higher than any reading I have seen in 20 years of doing radon tests. It is also alarmingly higher than the U.S. EPA action level of 4.0 pCi/L.
More than ever, I believe there is radon in Georgia and everyone should have their homes tested. Here is some information to help you understand what radon is and how easy it is to test your home:
Radon is a radioactive gas resulting from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water. Radon levels are measured in picoCuries per liter of air. The U.S. EPA action level is 4.0 pCi/L.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the surgeon general have determined that radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S., behind cigarette use. The risk of lung cancer is especially high if you smoke and live in a house with elevated levels of radon.
Although some scientists disagree, most major health organizations (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Lung Association and the American Medical Association) agree that exposure to elevated levels of indoor radon is a health risk. In fact, the National Academy of Sciences report The Health Effects of Exposure to Indoor Radon estimates that exposure to indoor radon causes between 15,000 to 22,000 deaths per year.
The only way to know if your home has elevated radon levels is to test. You can hire a professional or do it yourself. Radon test kits are available at some home-improvement stores and from the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service by visiting the Web site http://www.fcs.uga.edu/ext/housing/radon/.
You can also call the Georgia Hotline at 404- 872-3549 for people living in the Atlanta area and 800-745-0037 outside the Atlanta area.
The kits from UGA cost $6.50.
Since the state of Georgia does not regulate radon-testing professionals you should choose someone who has passed an EPA certified exam.
Qualified testers can be found through either the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) http://www.neha.org/index.shtml or 303-756-9090, or the National Radon Safety Board (NRSB) at http://www.nrsb.org/ or 866-329-3474.
Both of these groups have lists of certified testers on their Web sites.
If your house tests higher than 4.0 pCi/L there is no reason to panic. In all cases radon levels can be lowered to a safe level.
In many cases radon “mitigation” costs less than $3,000. As with radon tests, you should choose a mitigation contractor who has met some standard criteria. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs refers interested people to NEHA and NRSB for finding qualified mitigation contractors.
The direct links for these contractors are http://www.radongas.org/radon_mitigation_service.shtml for NEHA and http://nrsb.org/SpecialistLocator.htm for NRSB.
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