Radon Inspection "Bringing Clean Air to Life"
Active Home Inspection Services is your local choice for professional and certified radon testing. To ensure that the home you are planning to buy does not have elevated levels of radon, you should have the home tested. Active Home Inspection Services can test your home for elevated radon levels with 48 hour continuous electronic radon monitoring systems. Following the test, a detailed electronic report with recommendations is provided.
What is radon? Radon is a radioactive gas. It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and chemically inert. Unless you test for it, there is no way of telling how much is present. The Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.
Remember, elevated radon levels can be fixed and can almost always be reduced to below 4 pCi/L. If testing confirms radon levels in the home to be at or above 4 pCi/L, consider having the radon level reduced before you move in.
Home Buyer's and Seller's Guide to Radon
The EPA recommends:
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If you are buying a home or selling your home, have it tested for radon.
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For a new home, ask if radon-resistant construction features were used and if the home has been tested.
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Fix the home if the radon level is 4 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher.
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Radon levels less than 4 pCi/L still pose a risk, and in many cases, may be reduced.
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Take steps to prevent device interference when conducting a radon test.
The EPA estimates that radon causes thousands of cancer deaths in the U.S. each year.
* Radon is estimated to cause about 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year.
The numbers of deaths from other causes are taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 1999-2001 National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Report and 2002 National Safety Council Reports.
Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas.
You cannot see, smell or taste radon. But it still may be a problem in your home. When you breathe air containing radon, you increase your risk of getting lung cancer. In fact, the Surgeon General of the United States has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is especially high.
You should test for radon.
Testing is the only way to find out your home's radon levels. The EPA and the Surgeon General recommend testing all homes below the third floor for radon.
You can fix a radon problem.
If you find that you have high radon levels, there are ways to fix a radon problem. Even very high levels can be reduced to acceptable levels.
If You Are Selling a Home...
The EPA recommends that you test your home before putting it on the market and, if necessary, lower your radon levels. Save the test results and all information you have about steps that were taken to fix any problems. This could be a positive selling point.
If You Are Buying a Home...
The EPA recommends that you know what the indoor radon level is in any home you are considering buying. Ask the seller for their radon test results. If the home has a radon-reduction system, ask the seller for information they have about the system.
If the home has not yet been tested, you should have the house tested. If you are having a new home built, there are features that can be incorporated into your home during construction to reduce radon levels.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
How long does a radon test take?
A typical radon test for a real estate transaction takes a minimum of 48 hours.
Do you provide repair estimates?
No. We believe that providing estimates and making repairs is a conflict of interest. Our goal is to provide an unbiased assessment of the radon levels in your home and make recommendations based on EPA protocols.
How much does a radon test cost?
Please see our pricing list.