RADON
What is radon?
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas created from the natural decay of
uranium in the Earth's rock and soil. You cannot see, smell or taste radon.
Why is radon dangerous?
Radon is radioactive. Outdoors, there
is little danger from radon because the concentrations are low. Inside a home,
radon is trapped and becomes concentrated. Long-term exposure to radon has been
associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. Smoking greatly increases the
risk of lung cancer from radon exposure.
How
does radon enter my home?
Radon moves to the surface through cracks and voids in the rock and soil.
The air pressure inside a home is typically lower than the
atmospheric pressure outside and the pressure in the soil under the home's
foundation. This difference in pressure means that the house acts like a
giant vacuum, drawing radon in through cracks and voids in the
foundation walls and the basement slab and through drains,
sumps, joints and loosely fitted pipes. Well water may also contain radon that
is released into the home during showering and other household uses.
Radon from building materials is usually insignificant.
Does Colorado have high levels of radon?
 Yes. Most counties in Colorado are in Zone 1 which means that homes in
these counties have a high probability of having high levels of radon.
How does radon get into my lungs?
When radon decays, it turns into
particles called “radon decay products” that float in the air you breathe
and can become embedded in your lungs. These radon decay products emit radiation
and this radiation can damage lung cells by damaging their DNA. The damaged lung
cells may lead to lung cancer.
Who said that radon can lead to lung
cancer?
The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) says that radon is the second leading cause of lung
cancer; only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths than radon. Recent research
indicates that 12% of all lung cancer deaths in the US are linked to radon. EPA
estimates that radon causes 21,000 lung cancer deaths in the US each year.
Do I need to measure for radon in my
home?
The EPA estimates that 1 in 15 homes in the US has elevated levels of radon.
Along the Front Range of Colorado percentage of homes with elevated levels of
radon is much higher.
The EPA recommends that every home should be
tested for radon, especially during a real estate transaction.
How do I test for radon?
 Scientific
testing is needed to measure radon levels in a home. An impartial third party
(e.g., a professional radon measurement provider) should be used for a real
estate transaction. Ensure that the radon measurement provider has the proper
credentials, such as certification from NEHA
(National Environmental Health Association).
Radon measurements are broken down into Short-term test and
Long-term tests.
Short-Term
Test
Short-term tests are commonly used in real estate
transactions and typically last 48 hours to 7 days. The devices used in
short-term tests can be broken down into Passive and Active devices.
Passive devices do not require electrical power. The
most commonly used short-term devices are charcoal canisters and electret
ion chambers.
Active devices require electrical power.
Continuous
radon monitors are the most common active short-term device. E-RPISU
devices measure the radon decay products and provide a more accurate assessment
of the true health threat.
Long-Term
Test
While short-term tests are useful for situations where
results are needed quickly, a long-term test will usually be a better indicator
of the average radon level. This is because it will not be greatly influenced by
diurnal and seasonal fluctuations. A one-year test will provide a true annual
average as opposed to the "snapshot" of a short-term test.
Long-term tests last from 90 days to one year. The most
commonly used long-term device is an alpha-track detector.
How can I
reduce the radon levels in my house?
Radon levels in any
house can be reduced. There are several methods of mitigation but one of the
most widely used and effective methods is the sub-slab depressurization system.
This technique captures radon before it enters the living space and vents it
safely to the outside.
This system can usually be installed for between $800 and
$2,000 with an average cost of about $1,200. If the home was constructed with a
passive radon mitigation system that system can be upgraded to an active system
for around $300.
Radon
Measurement Devices
Prepare
Your House for a Radon Test
Click HERE if the buttons along the left
side of the window do not display.
Colorado Radon Information
| 
Colorado
Registered Professional Engineer. Serving the Pikes Peak Region including
Monument and Palmer Lake, Black Forest, and Southern Douglas and Teller
Counties. 719-599-8555 
