Radon Retest

If you or your client has recently had a radon mitigation system installed the property should be retested for radon gas.  The retest cannot be performed until at least 24 hours of closed building conditions has elapsed since the mitigation system was installed. A Radon Measurement Professional will then perform a 48 short term test to confirm that the mitigation system is operating as designed. A professionally installed mitigation is almost 100% effective. A retest will confirm this.

Pro Home Radon Measurements-630-335-3009. Real estate radon testing in Illinois requires a minimum 48 hour measurement.  This type of testing is known as Short Term Radon Testing.  Typically, this test involves the use of a Continuous Radon Monitor. This type of monitor will provide same day results, important in real estate transactions. Another method used for testing of radon is the charcoal cannister. Cannisters must be sent to a lab for results taking additional time and results are biased towards the first 12 hours of the actual test. Not too practical when a real estate transaction is involved.

What is Radon?

Radon is a naturally occuring radioactive gas that you can't see, taste, or smell.  It is produced by the breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water. Radon is measured in picocurries per liter (pCi/L) of air.  The Illinois Emergency Management Agency Department of Nuclear Safety (IEMA-DNS) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) recommends that action be taken to radon reduce levels if the average is 4pCi/L or higher.

What are the health effects?

Radon is the #1 cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.  Radon gas decays into radioactive particles that can get trapped in your lungs when you breathe.  As they break down further, these particles release small bursts of energy.  This can damage your lung tissue and lead to lung cancer over the course of your lifetime.  Radon is estimated to cause between 15,000 and 22,000 lung cancer deaths each year.

How do you test for Radon?

The Surgeon General and EPA recommend testing all homes below the third floor for radon. In real estate transactions Pro Home Radon Measurements will perform a short term test. This test takes a minimum of 48 hours. If the results of this test are 4 pCi/l or higher then mitigation is recommended.

How do you get rid of it?

In Illinois the cost will range from $800 to $1200 to have radon mitigated from your property.  Should you have more than one foundation type (i.e. crawl, basement, slab) the cost can increase slightly.  The most common type of mitigation is sub slab depressurization. This method involves drilling through the basement/slab floor, connecting pvc piping and an electric air pump and routing it all outside above the gutter line. 
This is a near 100% effective system and costs very little to operate. A contractor must be licensed through the IEMA DNS to mitigate radon in Illinois.

Illinois Radon Awareness Act 

Effective Jan 1, 2008 Illinois will require all Sellers to provide their Buyers with a completed Radon Disclosure form stating that the property they are buying may present exposure to dangerous levels of radon gas and that this may place occupants at risk of developing lung cancer. The disclosure goes on to state that radon gas is the #2 cause of lung cancer second only to smoking. In addition to the disclosure Sellers will also be required to provide their buyers a document entitiles "Testing Guidelines for Real Estate Transactions".

While the new law does not require radon testing nor the subsequent mitigation you can be fairly confident that the awareness of radon and the dangers of elevated radon levels after the new law takes effect will be on the minds of everyone involved in a real estate transaction.  This, in turn, will increase the number of radon measurements performed after the start of the new year.