One of the biggest misconceptions about radon gas is that if the property has a crawl space, the crawl space venting will dissipate the gas to the outside. WRONG! I have been doing home inspections in the Nashville, TN area the past few days, and on two of the properties, the buyers requested that I do a Radon test. Both properties were located in the Sevier Park area off Granny White Pike just south of I-440. One was new construction and the other was a 1950's property. Both had Radon Levels above 20 pCi/l (pico Curies per liter). According to the EPA, any reading above 4.0 pCi/l is considered elevated and must be mitigated. It does not matter if the property has a crawl space or is built on a slab. The geology under the property determines if the property will have elevated levels of Radon.
Middle Tennessee is considered a high radon belt and it is highly suggested, that as a part of the property transaction, a Radon test be conducted. The buyers of these properties were glad they did. The $125.00 test saved them about $1000.00 in remediation costs. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States second only to cigarettes.
This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property of Michael Thornton of Complete Home Inspections, Inc. providing home inspections for Brentwood, Nashville, Davidson and Williamson Counties of Middle Tennessee. The views and opinions expressed are just that - views and opinions of Michael Thornton and those who comment. This post is a contribution to the ActiveRain Real Estate Network.
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