RADON is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas. You cannot see radon. And you cannot smell it or taste it. But it may be an issue in your home. That is because when you breath air containing RADON, you increase your risk of getting lung cancer. In fact, the Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today.
NEW HOME TESTING - Put the responsibility of acceptable RADON levels in your new home upon the Builder's shoulders. It is recommended that you have the NEW Home tested and if the 48-hour test does not average below the 4 pCi/l action level, then require your Builder to have the proper mitigation system installed.
MITIGATION - Any home's RADON level can be reduced below the 4 pCi/l action level. Just because a home has elevated RADON levels does not mean the home is plagued or doomed, but there will be an expense to incur to mitigate. Mitigation will generally run $1,200 to $2,500 on an average sized home. Mitigation can only be performed by trained and approved EPA Mitigators.
BUILDER'S RESPONSIBILITY - Most Builder's in northern Utah are unaware of the risk of RADON in the area. Most Builder's also have no specific training or current information on the topic. If they did, they would take the inexpensive precautions to rough-wire and rough-plumb the home for any needed RADON mitigation. This would greatly reduce mitigation expenses if the home's RADON results were later found to be elevated.
There is no logical reason why a NEW home with elevated RADON should be the Buyer's responsibility to lower the unhealthy indoor air quality RADON levels. Utah, however is a "Buyer Beware State" and once the home is purchased it is difficult to hold anybody else responsible. If elevated RADON levels are discovered before a Buyer closes on their NEW Home they are in a much more convincing position to get the builder to resolve the condition.
If you are planning to buy a New Home, don't forego the important RADON TEST!!! Add the contingency clause to your Real Estate Purchase Contract that the sale of the home is contingent upon the home having RADON levels averaging under 4 pCi/l.
Radon testing cannot be performed on a new home until it is completed. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer and elevated radon levels can be corrected. The EPA recommend that all home in the U.S. be tested for elevated radon levels and we would love to perform the service in conjunction with your home inspection. Please click on the link to view our radon specialty page.
