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Protecting Your Home from Radon: A Comprehensive Guide

Learn about the origins of radon, its health risks, testing options, mitigation strategies, and the impact on children's health. Discover why radon-resistant construction is crucial and understand the importance of regular testing for a safe environment.

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Protecting Your Home from Radon: A Comprehensive Guide

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  1. Healthy Home SolutionsLesson 2: Radon in your home < presenter name here>

  2. Knowledge: Origin of radon and health risk • Comprehension: Influences of radon entry into homes • Application: Options for testing and mitigation Learning objectives

  3. A citizen's guide to radon: The guide to protecting yourself and your family from radon

  4. Naturally occurring • Radioactive gas • Colorless • Odorless Radon:What is it?

  5. Bismuth Lead Radon 3.8 days Polonium Radium 1,620 years Uranium 4.47 million years Radon – radioactive gas

  6. Radon is measured in picoCuries per liter of air (pCi/L) • While no level of radon exposure is considered safe, EPA has set an action level at 4 pCi/L • 1 picoCurie is equal to 0.037 radioactive disintegrations per second • According to EPA, if levels are at or above 4 pCi/L, the home should be mitigated • Take precautionary actions between 2-4 pCi/L Radon measurement

  7. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, claiming approximately 21,000 lives annually.

  8. Radon causes lung cancer Inhalation of radon decay products Alpha Particle Radiation damage to DNA

  9. Radon - A physician's guide: The health threat with asimple solution

  10. Children are more susceptible to effects of radon. • Children have smaller lungs and therefore higher breathing rates. • Children spend up to 70% more time indoors than adults on average. • According to the U.S. EPA, 1 in 5 schools has at least one schoolroom with a radon level that exceeds the recommended level of 4 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher. Radon and children

  11. Radon in soil and rocks under and adjacent to buildings, migrates through foundations, cracks and small openings and concentrates inside buildings.

  12. Radon and granite countertops?Not an issue.

  13. What are the radon levels in your community?

  14. Testing is the only way to know the radon level of a building. Residential Construction Team

  15. DIY radon test kits long-term/alpha track 3 months to a year test short-term/charcoal 3-7 day test

  16. Kit instructions vary – follow instructions! • 12-hour closed-house for 2-7 day test • Place in lowest “lived-in” area • Place mid-level from floor and ceiling • Out of air flow (ductwork and fans) • Out of kitchen and bathroom DIY testing: follow instructions

  17. Radon testing and mitigationprofessionals

  18. Professional continuous monitor Cost $600+$315.00 printer

  19. Factors thatincrease radon levels De-pressurization Thermal by-passes Stack-effect Vented appliances without dedicated outside air source Frozen/wet soils

  20. Radonmitigation for existing homes

  21. Consumer's guide to radon reduction: How to fix your home

  22. Radon mitigation sub-slab depressurization Discharge • Most common type of radon mitigation system • Suction created by fan draws radon from beneath the concrete slab and safely vents radon outdoors Fan Attic Depressurization Piping System

  23. RadonmitigationSub-slabdepressurization

  24. Crawlspacemitigation …sub-membrane depressurizationSystem Discharge Fan Attic Depressurization Piping System

  25. Building radon out: A step-by-step guide on how to build radon-resistant homes

  26. Pre-construction testing is costly and is not 100% - not recommend • Homes can be built to prevent radon entry • Radon-resistant construction includes common building practices and a few added steps • Radon-resistant features into your new home adds $350-$500 vs. $1,500-$3,000 for existing home • Homes with radon-resistant features should be tested for radon after occupancy Building radon resistant homes

  27. 4” layer of gas-permeable material (1/4”-2” aggregate) under all concrete slabs and other floor systems in contact with ground; • Soil gas retarder (6 mil poly) under slab or on ground if crawl space • Minimizing entry routes (sumps, floor openings, etc.) • Passive sub-membrane/slab depressurization system • 3-inch diameter PVC pipe embedded vertically in the sub-membrane/slab extending up through the house and terminating about the roof surface • Provisions for a vent pipe power source Radon resistant construction minimum rough-in features

  28. Radon gas contribution from water – 5%; always focus on radon in air first! • 10,000 pCi/L in water adds 1 pCi/L to air • Private wells are greatest problem • Water outgases radon – more from hot H2O Radonin water

  29. Home buyer's and seller's guide to radon

  30. Healthy indoor environment protocols for home energy upgrades

  31. Healthy Home SolutionsLesson 2: Radon in your home Thank you! Questions? Comments?

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