ValnaoTIL Radon is a radioactive substance that causes cancer. Colorado is full of Radon.
In Missouri, it’s standard practice to get a radon test when you buy a house. It naturally leaches out of the soil; you just need a fan to pump it out so it doesn’t build up in your home. Pretty scary stuff.
Yeah, this is standard practice everywhere for home buyers.
If you rent, you should still get a Radon test done in your residence. You can do it yourself, no reason to wait for your landlord (I personally have an AirThings meter but you can also get single-use tests that a cheaper). Anything above 2 pCi/L is concerning and is remediated by regularly refreshing the air in your home; above 4 is cause for installation of a radon mitigation system.
Basements are particularly vulnerable, as well as first-floor rooms.
Amazon.com: Airthings Corentium Home Radon Detector 223 Portable, Lightweight, Easy-to-Use, (3) AAA Battery Operated, USA Version, pCi/L : Everything Else
Amazon.com: Airthings Corentium Home Radon Detector 223 Portable, Lightweight, Easy-to-Use, (3) AAA Battery Operated, USA Version, pCi/L : Everything Else
DaveYeah, this is standard practice everywhere for home buyers.
Everywhere? The risk varies significantly by where you are in the world. Where I live, I’ve never heard of anyone getting a radon test. I was aware this was a thing in some countries, but our soils have very little compared to some countries. Our average radon in homes is around 23 Bq/m3 which is around half the average in the US (50Bq/m3), and the EPA suggests action if in the 75-150 range. (Which is quite a range!).
jqubedEven in my state I don’t think it’s required everywhere. In the mountains and the Piedmont there is a risk although it’s not common, but I think in the coastal plain on the sandy soil it’s uncommon. IIRC for our state the more granite in the ground the higher the risk. Having a crawlspace foundation is also better than a basement or a slab foundation because it gives a space that can easily be ventilated before the gas enters the living space of the home.
I think I saw a study once that granite countertops may offgas some radon. Maybe there’s not enough granite in the average home to cause concern.
Interestingly, the NZ average data rose from 16 to 23 between the 80s and 2016, I wonder if it’s related to the rise in concrete slab houses where raised houses on piles with a crawlspace were previously the primary way houses were built. Granite countertops possibly play a part too.
Its really only relevant if you live on radon producing rock, like granite.
2 pCi/L
Wut? That’s such a weird combination of units for an American system.
I had a cousin that had lung cancer’07, found in both lungs, he never smoked, dont have a basement, but hes pratically a WFH/stay at home person all the time, i always suspected it was either the chemicals they used to clean, and radon in that house, but never confirmed it, since there isnt a BASEMENT to begin with and i dont live close to them to ask.