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What is Radon ?
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive
gas. It comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and
water and gets into the air you breathe. Radon typically moves up through the
ground to the air above and into your home through cracks and other holes in the
foundation. Your home can trap radon inside. Radon
gas is colorless, odorless, and without taste. It is a Class A carcinogen and is
the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. The level of
radon in a home cannot be detected by human senses. The only way to know the
level of Radon gas in your home is to test.
EPA
recommends that homes with a Radon concentration of 4 pCi/l be
mitigated. Mitigation usually can reduce the Radon level to a much safer
level. A licensed mitagator will determine the best method of doing so.
The
best professional radon inspectors now offer the latest Radon testing
technology--
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The Radalink™
Radon TeleMonitor |
The
TeleMonitor, is a precise, continuous, electronic instrument, designed
specifically for testing in the context of real estate transactions. Hourly
readings and other tamper detection features make a Radalink test extremely
difficult to compromise.
The inspector
sets the Telemonitor in the lowest lived-in area of the house. Closed
house conditions are needed starting 12 hours before the test is begun.
That means all doors and windows are to be closed starting then and to remain
closed throughout the test. Doors can be opened to come and go but are to
remain closed at all other times. Heating and air conditioning can be run
but the fireplace is not to be used. The first 4 hours of the test are not
included in the reported test results. The test period has to be at least
44 hours and may be as long as 120 hours. When the inspector terminates
the test, the test information is transmitted by phone line to a computer in
Atlanta and, shortly after it is sent, the computer sends out the test results
by e-mail or fax to the client.
Radon
problems are very easily and inexpensively fixed by a state licensed
contractor. Although the cost may vary depending on the size and design of
the home, it generally runs between $500 and $1000. Radon mitigation
systems really work, permanently reducing concentrations by up to 99%.
Since most designs completely prevent damp soil air from entering the house one
may notice other indoor air quality improvement as well. Very little
maintenance is required and operating costs are generally less than $10 per
month for fan electricity and minor loss of conditioned air.
Lifetime Risk of
Lung Cancer Death
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Radon
Level a |
Lifetime Risk of Lung Cancer Death (per person) from Radon Exposure in Homes
b |
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pCi/L |
Never
Smokers |
Current
Smokers c |
General
Population |
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20 |
36 out
of 1,000 |
260 out
of 1000 |
110 out
of 1000 |
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10 |
18 out
of 1,000 |
150 out
of 1000 |
56 out
of 1,000 |
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8 |
15 out
of 1,000 |
120 out
of 1000 |
45 out
of 1,000 |
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4 |
73 out
of 10,000 |
62 out
of 1,000 |
23 out
of 1,000 |
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2 |
37 out
of 10,000 |
32 out
of 1,000 |
12 out
of 1,000 |
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1.25 |
23 out
of 10,000 |
20 out
of 1,000 |
73 out
of 10,000 |
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0.4 |
73 out
of 100,000 |
64 out
of 10,000 |
23 out
of 10,000 |
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a Assumes constant
lifetime exposure in homes at these levels.
b Estimates are subject to uncertainties as discussed in Chapter VIII of the
risk assessment.
c Note: BEIR VI did not specify excess relative risks for current smokers. |
EPA
Fact Sheet:
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EPA’s indoor radon program
promotes voluntary public actions to reduce the risks from indoor radon. EPA
and the U.S. Surgeon General recommend that people do a simple home test and
if high levels of radon are confirmed, reduce those high levels with
straight-forward techniques.
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EPA recently completed an
updated assessment of the Agency’s estimates of lung cancer risks from indoor
radon. This assessment reinforces EPA’s recommendations on radon that
homeowners should still test and fix their homes for radon.
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Found all over the U.S.,
radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas without color, odor, or taste
that comes from the radioactive decay of uranium in soil, rock, and
groundwater. It emits ionizing radiation during its radioactive decay to
several radioactive isotopes known as radon decay products.
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Radon gets into the indoor
air primarily from soil under homes and other buildings. Radon is a known
human lung carcinogen and is the largest source of radiation exposure and risk
to the general public. Most inhaled radon is rapidly exhaled, but the inhaled
decay products readily deposit in the lung, where they irradiate sensitive
cells in the airways increasing the risk of lung cancer.
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EPA updated the Agency’s
estimates of lung cancer risks from indoor radon based on the National Academy
of Sciences’ (NAS) latest report on radon, the
Biological
Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR) VI Report (1999). This report is the
most comprehensive review of scientific data gathered on radon and builds on
and updates the findings of the previous NAS BEIR IV Report (1988). NAS
concluded that the findings of BEIR VI showed that if homeowners haven’t yet
tested their homes for radon and fixed them if the levels are elevated, they
should do so.
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The
NAS BEIR VI
Report confirmed EPA’s long-held position that radon is the second leading
cause of lung cancer and a serious public health problem. NAS estimated that
radon causes about 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year. The report found that
even very small exposures to radon can result in lung cancer and concluded
that no evidence exists that shows a threshold of exposure below which radon
levels are harmless. The report also concludes that many smokers will get lung
cancer due to their radon exposure who otherwise would not have gotten lung
cancer. This is because of the synergistic relationship between radon and
cigarette smoking in causing lung cancer.
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To update EPA’s previous risk
estimates, EPA worked closely with the Agency’s Science Advisory Board (SAB),
an independent panel of scientific experts, to determine how best to apply the
various risk models developed by the BEIR VI committee. EPA incorporated the
SAB’s advice and recommendations for modifying and extending the methods and
approaches used in BEIR VI and constructed a single model yielding results
midway between the results obtained using the two models preferred by the BEIR
VI committee. These adjustments did not result in significant changes to the
BEIR VI risk estimates.
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EPA’s updated calculation of
a best estimate of annual lung cancer deaths from radon is about 21,000 (with
an uncertainty range of 8,000 to 45,000) and is consistent with the estimates
of the BEIR VI Report. [EPA’s previous best estimate of annual lung cancer
deaths from inhaled radon was based on the earlier BEIR IV Report and was
about 14,000 (with an uncertainty range of 7,000 to 30,000).]
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The SAB-endorsed
modifications included applying the Agency’s definition of excess risk that
includes all radon-induced lung cancer deaths, rather than excluding premature
deaths caused by radon in people who would otherwise have eventually died of
lung cancer. EPA also used more detailed smoking prevalence data and more
recent mortality data to calculate risks than were used by the BEIR VI
committee. EPA also calculated numerical estimates of the risk per unit
exposure [lung cancer deaths per working level month (WLM)], whereas BEIR VI
estimated the fractional increase in lung cancers due to radon.
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Newcomers Inspection Services subcontracts radon testing to only state licensed
companies.
If you would like a quote on any of
our services, please call or
fill in the information below and we'll get back to you.
For immediate
service, call cell phone
440-725-2006
customer
service is our highest priority.
Call: 440-239-4550 or toll free 1-888-672-9666
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