Should I Check for Radon Again

• What is radon/where does it come from?
• What radon level is condom?
• What is a picocurie?
• Is radon really a health risk? I've heard information technology is a scam!
• How do I know if I have a radon trouble in my home?
• How does radon become into my habitation?
• My home is new, old, drafty, or energy-efficient and built on a slab, has a crawlspace, basement, or has multiple foundations. Do I need to worry?
• Where can I get a radon test kit or who can test my habitation?
• How much does information technology cost to exam?
• I forgot to apply my radon exam kit last year. Tin can I still use it?
• My neighbor tested and didn't find a radon problem. Practise I still demand to examination?
• I heard radon was just a trouble in Pennsylvania? Why should I test my home here in Michigan?
• Are the "do-it-yourself" kits accurate or should I hire a professional tester?
• I have headaches. Could it be radon? What are the wellness effects of radon?
• If I notice a radon problem, what practise I practice adjacent? Can it be fixed? Who does this kind of work? What does it cost? What practise they practise to fix a radon problem?
• I'm buying a new home and the inspector found radon. What do I practise now? Should I walk away from the deal?
• If I discover/gear up a radon trouble, will I have a hard fourth dimension selling my home?
• Could radon be a trouble in my kids' school or where I work?
• Exercise testers and mitigators have to exist licensed?
• Should I test my water for radon?

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Where does it come from?

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is tasteless, odorless, and colorless. It comes from the radioactive decay (breakdown) of radium, which comes from the radioactive decay of uranium, both of which are found in at least trace amounts in well-nigh any kind of soil or rock. Granites, shales, phosphates, and certain other types of rock have higher than average concentrations of uranium, and every bit such, may produce higher concentrations of radon. However, elevated radon levels can occur fifty-fifty in areas with low concentrations of uranium in the soil or rocks.

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What radon level is safe?

There is no "condom" radon level. At that place is believed to be some risk to be associated with any exposure, and as a full general dominion, the higher the radon level and the longer the exposure, the greater the hazard.

Congress has a set a long-term goal of reducing indoor radon levels and then that they are no greater than exposure to ambient (outdoor) air. The average outdoor level is between 0.3 picocuries per liter (pCi/50) and 0.7 pCi/50, and while that level is non even so technologically achievable, many homes can exist brought down to levels beneath 2 pCi/l. In the meantime, we are using a guideline of 4 pCi/fifty. This guideline was selected considering the dominion of pollex is to keep exposure to radiation asouthward l ow a south r easonably a chievable (ALARA), and 4 pCi/l is a reasonably achievable radon level. Whether a abode has 100 pCi/fifty, or 50 pCi/l, or 20 or 10 pCi/fifty, the current technology is able to bring the level downwards to below 4 pCi/l for a reasonable amount of coin, with a reasonable amount of endeavour, over a reasonable menstruation of time.

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What is a picocurie?

A picocurie is a unit of measure for radiations. A curie (named later on French physicist Marie Curie) is a way of measuring radioactive decay or disintegration, and it equals 3.7 x 10^ten disintegrations per second. "Pico" means "trillionth," so a picocurie is a trillionth of a curie, or one-trillionth of 37 billion disintegrations per second. To put this in perspective, a house having iv picocuries of radon per liter of air (4 pCi/l) has nigh 8 or ix atoms of radon decaying every infinitesimal in every liter of air within the house. A 1,000 square foot house with four pCi/l of radon has nearly two meg atoms decaying in information technology every minute.

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Is radon actually a wellness risk? I've heard it is a scam!

Yeah, radon is a Class A carcinogen, which means information technology is known to crusade cancer in humans. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer subsequently smoking, and results in approximately 21,000 lung cancer deaths in the Usa each yr. Non everyone who breathes radon will develop lung cancer. Your risk is adamant by such things as how much radon is in your habitation (and/or workplace, school, or other indoor environs); the amount of fourth dimension you spend in your home (and/or workplace, school, or other indoor environment); and whether you smoke or accept ever smoked. The longer you are exposed, and the higher the radon level, the greater the risk.

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How do I know if I have a radon trouble in my domicile?

The only way to know whether your home has elevated radon levels is to test your dwelling house. There are no physical signs to warn you of the presence of radon, and it cannot be detected with the senses. And since radon levels can vary significantly from home to abode, y'all can't use your neighbor's exam results to decide whether or not your habitation has a problem. Your home must be tested.

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How does radon get into my home ?

Radon enters homes through openings in the foundation floor or walls, wherever the foundation is in contact with the soil. Considering information technology's a gas, radon tin travel through the soil, and it generally moves from an area of higher force per unit area to one of lower pressure. In almost cases, the soil is at college force per unit area than the house, and if radon is traveling forth the foundation, it can exist pushed into the lower pressure expanse through openings such equally sump crocks, crawlspaces, infinite effectually plumbing or wiring, floor/wall joints, cracks, hollow block walls, or other entry points. Ultimately, tiny or large openings in the foundation floor or walls can act as entry points, and the pressure difference between the soil and the house acts as the driving forcefulness that allows radon to enter your home .

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My home is new, old, drafty, or energy-efficient and built on a slab, crawlspace, basement, or has multiple foundations. Practise I demand to worry?

Really, whatsoever home, regardless of historic period, energy-efficiency, or foundation blazon, could have a radon problem. The only way to know whether or not a particular dwelling has a problem is to test THAT habitation .

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Where tin can I get a radon examination kit/Who tin can test my home?

Radon exam kits are bachelor from yourlocal health department or they can be purchased at some hardware stores, dwelling improvement centers, or other retail outlets. They can also exist purchased on the net. If you lot need a professional tester to help yous exam your home or a home you're considering purchasing, use an private who is certified by theNational Radon Proficiency Program or theNational Radon Condom Board.

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How much does it cost to exam?

Virtually short-term do-it-yourself radon test kits price between $10 and $twenty, and long-term kits by and large cost between $xx and $fifty. The kits sold past the local health departments include the cost of the examination device, the postage stamp to postal service it back to a lab out of state, and the lab fees for having the device analyzed. Almost kits sold in retail stores or through mail gild likewise include everything in the price, just a few companies accuse extra for postage or analysis, so exist sure you know what you're getting before you make the buy!

People involved in real manor transactions ofttimes prefer to accept a professional perform the measurement for them. Test prices vary depending on the device or instrumentation used by the tester, travel costs, and so on, but the price would more often than not range from $50 to $150. Be certain the tester you lot hire understands and follows the testing protocol. (Testers are not licensed in Michigan, but you are encouraged to use an individual certified by either the National Ecology Health Clan (NEHA) or the National Radon Condom Board (NRSB). Contact your local wellness section for a listing of measurement companies or visit the organization websites.)

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I forgot to use my radon test final year. Can I nonetheless use it?

Radon test kits do expire and have an expiration date on the tiptop correct corner of the test kit.  If information technology's by the expiration date, you will need to get a new exam kit to be assured that you lot can get an accurate measurement.

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My neighbor tested and didn't find a radon problem. Practise I withal need to test?

Yes! Radon levels can vary significantly from home to home or land parcel to land parcel. The merely way to know whether YOUR home has a radon problem is to examination YOUR home.

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I heard radon was only a problem in Pennsylvania? Why should I test my home here in Michigan?

Though Pennsylvania is an surface area with a loftier potential for radon bug, elevated radon levels have been found in every state. In Michigan, one in four homes is expected to have a radon problem, and in some counties as many equally forty-50% of the homes could accept problems. The only way to know if your dwelling has high radon levels is to test.

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Are the "do-it-yourself" kits accurate or should I rent a professional?

Radon testing is not a complicated procedure, but procedures must be followed if you want an accurate, reliable result. So, if yous purchase a quality device, and if yous read and follow the instructions, a "do-it-yourself" exam kit should be adequate. Follow-upwardly measurements should be made to ostend an elevated radon level. People involved in existent estate transactions ofttimes prefer to hire a professional to provide an independent measurement of the radon level in the abode in question .

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I accept headaches. Could information technology exist radon? What are the health effects of radon?)

The merely known health upshot of radon is an increased risk of lung cancer. Radon does not cause any warning symptoms like headaches, nausea, fatigue, or skin rashes. If you are suffering from those symptoms or other concrete ailments, you should consult your physician.

You should all the same test your habitation for radon. The only fashion to know whether you are being exposed to elevated radon levels is to test.

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If I find a radon problem, what next? Can it be fixed? Who does this kind of piece of work? What does it cost? What do they practice to gear up a radon problem?

Elevated radon levels can exist reduced, merely first you should confirm that you lot really have a trouble by conducting follow-upwardly measurements.

When a problem has been confirmed, you may want to hire a professional radon mitigation contractor to help yous reduce the levels. Radon mitigation contractors are not licensed in Michigan.  Then, you are encouraged to employ an person who is certified by the National Radon Proficiency Program or the National Radon Safety Board.

Occasionally, when the radon levels are fairly close to the guideline of 4 picocuries per liter (4 pC i/l), caulking and sealing radon entry points may be enough to bring the radon downward to acceptable levels. Withal, caulking and sealing does non ever provide the reduction you demand, and information technology is seldom a long-term solution to a existent radon trouble. In most cases, a professional contractor would install a radon mitigation system and provide a guarantee of levels beneath 4 pCi/l. There are other methods, only a radon mitigation organization is the most common technique used in Michigan. A radon mitigation organisation uses a vent pipe and fans to remove radon vapors from under your foundation and exhaust them above the roof where it's rubber, ensuring the radon never enters your abode.

The cost of a radon mitigation organization in Michigan can vary significantly depending on where you lot are in the state and who you hire. A typical range in toll would exist $750-$1,500.

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I'm buying a new abode and the inspector found radon. What practice I do now? Should I walk away from the bargain?

Radon levels can nearly ever exist reduced, so if you similar a domicile, you should buy it. Radon is not a good reason to walk away from the bargain. The effect is negotiable between the buyer and the seller, and there are a lot of options to consider. For instance, the buyer may ask that the seller fix the problem, or the buyer may choose to take the firm "as is" and fix it later when it's more convenient. The two parties may come with some formula for sharing the costs, or the seller may put money in escrow, so the buyer tin retest to determine the almanac average. In any event, the problem is fixable and shouldn't be a deal-breaker.

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If I find/fix a radon trouble, will I take a hard time selling my home?

There is always a possibility that a future buyer may be confused about radon and view a mitigation arrangement as a bad affair. Yet, with positive marketing, a radon mitigation organization tin can be a selling indicate. Other homes in the expanse may also have radon problems, and knowing that the problem has already been identified and corrected can be a "plus."

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Could radon exist a problem in my kids' school or where I work?

Yeah, radon could be a problem in your children'southward school or in your workplace. Radon does not distinguish between the foundation of a home, school, function, or other building.  If there is a source and entry signal(due south), radon tin can enter any building. The U.S. Ecology Protection Agency recommends that schools and workplaces be tested to determine whether radon is a problem. Keep in mind, though, that many people spend much of their time at dwelling, and the home is likely to be the most meaning source of radon exposure.  While information technology may be important to test your school or workplace, it is equally of import that you test your habitation!

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Exercise testers and mitigators accept to be licensed?

Radon testers and mitigators, often called radon reduction contractors, are not licensed or regulated in Michigan. Nonetheless, there are two national organizations that offering radon measurement and mitigation certification. If you cull to hire a professional to assist you, you are encouraged to hire a person certified by the National Radon Proficiency Programme or theNational Radon Safety Board

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Should I test my water for radon?

Testing for radon in h2o is not encouraged. Elevated indoor radon levels are almost ever from radon gas inbound the home from the soil. If elevated radon levels are found, it is suggested that the problem be fixed by installing a radon mitigation system.  Only if high radon levels continue later installing a radon mitigation organisation would yous look to sample h2o for radon.

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Source: https://www.michigan.gov/egle/about/organization/materials-management/indoor-radon/frequently-asked-questions-about-radon