What in the World is Radon?

What is Radon?

As someone who grew up in a completely flat area with no rocks, mountains, or even a remotely hilly landscape, I couldn’t get over all this gas talk when my husband and I were purchasing our first home. Why were we always in basements talking about gas?

I admit, the first time my realtor told me there was some sort of gas in the basement of a house we were looking to purchase, I for lack of a better term, freaked out.

Quick, frantic googling came up with the words: radon, radioactive, lung cancer, abatement, and protect your family. Why are there so many graphics showing gas coming from the ground leaking into my future home? Ok, I’m officially freaked out. 

I’m here to tell you as someone who internally struggled with this radon concept for probably a little too long, that it will be ok and it can be fixed.

Flashback to chemistry class - Radon is an element on the periodic table! It is a radioactive (yikes) gas that is naturally occurring and comes from rock and soil (and well water). Radon is formed from Uranium (another element on the periodic table!). Uranium can be found in all types of rocks and therefore soil, but most contain low amounts. However, some types of rocks (examples: light-colored volcanic rocks, granites, dark shales, and sedimentary rocks that contain phosphate) contain higher levels of uranium. All this science stuff happens with atoms and reactions and voilà! We have radon gas.

Radon is present in the air we breathe when we are outside, but only becomes an issue in confined spaces where the concentration levels are higher. Lightbulb moment! This is why we were always in the basement talking about gas.

If you are looking for a home that is on rocky terrain, a hilly area, or any area with some of the types of rocks I mentioned above, then it is almost certain you will have some level of radon in your basement.

Radon is scary - that I won’t downplay. You can google (like I did) all of the very serious health consequences of continued radon exposure. This is why you absolutely must have your basement checked for radon levels on any house you purchase and must be especially cognizant of those levels in rocky areas.

Radon is measured in picocuries per liter (pCi) (ah science, again). The EPA strongly recommends fixing the radon levels in your home if radon measures 4 pCi’s or higher. Levels lower than 4 pCi also pose a risk and can be reduced, but 4 pCi or higher is the number that with continued exposure poses an increased health risk.

Luckily, radon levels are easily tested and a reduction system can be put in place to decrease the levels so you can safely enjoy your home.

So, how and when do we check for radon levels?

Sellers can proactively test for radon levels prior to listing their home. They would then abate (more on that below) if the levels are too high and save the test results to present to their prospective buyers.

Buyers should ask if the home has a radon reduction system already in place, for any testing results, and any applicable paperwork. Radon inspections are typically performed at the same time as the home inspection. Results will be back a few days after the test is placed in the home.

What does testing entail?

In New Jersey, homeowners can test for radon themselves or hire a New Jersey certified radon measurement company to perform and if necessary, abate. If you purchase a test yourself, check to make sure it is a NJ certified test. You can do so by looking for a NJ certification number. The number on the test kit will start with "MEB9’" followed by 4 digits. NOTE if you hire someone - in NJ, it is against the law to do radon testing and/or abatement without certification.

Radon tests can be either active or passive. An active test requires power to function and monitor and continuously measure levels. Passive tests can be done in the short term (over a few days) or the long term (over a few months) and are simply exposed to the air and set to a lab for results. Passive tests are the types of tests that can be easily purchased from a hardware store or online.

Whichever test you choose it is important to make sure that the test is not tampered with. Moving a passive test near a window in the basement, for example, could make it seem as if the pCi is lower than it actually is. There are specifics about the best place to test, where, and other considerations, so it is best to hire a professional to do this, like your home inspection rather than allowing the seller to conduct their own test.

Now how do I fix this?

There are a few ways to fix radon levels in your home, but your first step is contacting a NJ certified radon mitigation professional to present you with the options given your levels, soil, home structure, and age of your home. The most common fix is called a sub-slab depressurization system. 

In layman’s terms, a pipe is installed from below your basement floor up and outside your roof and a fan sucks the air upwards and outwards removing the higher concentrations of radon from your home. Cracks in your foundation will also be sealed. NJ state advises that a system such as this one on average costs $1,200, but can range from $500 - $2,500 depending on your home and situation. Lastly, NJ state recommends you test every two years after mitigation to make sure the system is still working.

So, what did I learn from my radon test?

In the end, the home my husband and I bought had very low levels of radon (go figure, given my freak outs). However, I’m happy to be able to pass along what I learned about radon throughout my own home buying process. I won’t blame you if you freak out about this too, but just know it can be safely (and relatively easily) fixed!

For additional reference:

An excellent document outlining everything radon can be found from the U.S. EPA. Specifically, check out page 20 Radon Testing Checklist and page 27 Radon Myths and Facts.

New Jersey EPA has NJ specific information and can be found here.