Radon

Radon is a cancer-causing radioactive gas. You cannot see, smell or taste radon, but it may be a problem in your home. The Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today and Georgia leads the southeast in unsafe levels of the harmful gas!

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and the Surgeon General’s Office have estimated that as many as 20,000 lung cancer deaths are caused each year by radon. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Radon-induced lung cancer costs the United States over $2 billion dollars per year in both direct and indirect health care costs.

A family whose home has radon levels of 4 pCi/l is exposed to approximately 35 times as much radiation as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would allow if that family was standing next to the fence of a radioactive waste site.

Georgia leads the southeast in elevated radon levels and many counties around North Georgia are considered red zones having indoor radon levels greater then the limit the EPA sets as the recommended action level for radon exposure.

Most U.S. EPA lifetime safety standards for carcinogens are established based on a 1 in 100,000 risk of death. Most scientists agree that the risk of death for radon at 4 pCi/l is approximately 1 in 100. At the 4 pCi/l EPA action guideline level, radon carries approximately 1000 times the risk of death as any other EPA carcinogen. It is important to note that the action level is not a safe level, as there are no “safe” levels of radon gas.

 

Know Before You Buy

Resolving a radon problem, if one exists, can be quite expensive. You can expect to spend thousands of dollars to deal with this type of issue, so it’s definitely something you want to know about going into a real estate transaction.

How Is Testing Done?

Testing for radon requires at least two days. Icon Inspections offers a 48-hour test using the latest equipment on the market. Once the test has been completed and the results are in, you will receive a detailed report outlining the property’s radon levels. Using the EPA’s recommended safety standards for this dangerous gas, this report will alert you as to whether or not the home is safe for occupancy.