What is Radon?
Radon is not a pretend danger even though one cannot see, taste or smell it.  Radon is a real and prevalent danger that is the second leading cause of lung cancer in our country.⁽¹⁾  To make it worse we live in Pennsylvania, which is an area of particularly high radon concentrations.

Radon begins as uranium ore in the ground.  As the radioactive uranium degenerates it first changes to radium, another solid material and then to radon, which is a gas.  The gas rises to the earth's surface and most of it is diluted and dissipates into the atmosphere.  When the gas enters a home, usually through small cracks or openings in the foundation and slab, it can build up to dangerous levels.  The radon gas degenerates into polonium, and when the polonium is breathed into the lungs further decay releases bursts of energy in the form of alpha particles that can cause DNA breaks or create free radicals.⁽²⁾ 

Is Exposure to Radon harmful?
Over time, lung cancer may develop.  The age, style and condition of the home has little to do with the radon levels.  All homes should have their radon level measured.

The EPA has determined that for now, the safe level of radon exposure is below 4.0 picoCuries per liter of air (pCi/L).  Many hope that this figure will be reduced in the future once more cost effective methods of remediation become available.

If you have never smoked, and are exposed to:
* 4 pCi/L of radon over a lifetime - 7 out of 1000 people may get lung cancer.  (This equals the risk of dying in a car crash)
*10 pCi/L of radon over a lifetime - 18 out of 1000 people may get lung cancer.  (This is 20 times the risk of dying in a home fire)
*20 pCi/L of radon over a lifetime - 36 out of 1000 people may get lung cancer.  (This is 35 times the risk of drowning) ⁽³⁾

Throughout our country, well over 20,000 lung cancer deaths are related to radon.  Smoking along with radon exposure alarmingly increases these percentages.

How do I know if my home has Radon?
If you own your own home you can easily test the radon levels with a kit bought at the hardware store and then send it to a lab to be analyzed.  If you do not own the home you are required to hire a licensed radon testing company.

Residential Inspections is licensed to perform radon testing in the state of PA using a continuous radon monitor.  This is the best device on the market for residential real estate sales.  Unlike other devices, the continuous radon monitor will produce a graph of the radon levels hour by hour, and even more important - it will produce warnings if the device were to be moved.  There is no need to wait for a lab report as the monitor provides the results immediately.

Our radon testing services extend throughout the Lehigh, Northampton and Berks Counties.   allentown, bethlehem, easton, macungie whitehall em

maus alburtis bangor zionsville lower macungie upper macungie saucon valley
What do I do if my Home has Radon?
Radon Mitigation is not that difficult nor that costly.  Usually a pit is made in the lower level floor and some dirt is removed and gravel is added.  A 3" plastic pipe extends from below the concrete floor to above the roof with a small fan in between.  Everything is sealed and the fan creates a suction under the concrete which redirects the radon gas into the pipe and up and away.  Often homeowners do this work themselves or pay somewhere between $700 - $1200 for an average size home.