January 2026 Is National Radon Action Month
Protect Your Home & Your Family... Test For Radon
January is National Radon Action Month. While the Greater Charlotte area, in general, is not known for high radon levels, we do find homes from time to time with radon levels that are too high requiring remediation. That means, that even those of us who live in low radon areas need to up our Radon IQ and know how to test our homes and how to protect our health.
It's estimated that one in six homes has radon. Regardless of how prevalent radon might be in your area, take the EPA's advice during National Radon Action Month: "Test Your Home. Protect Your Health."
Radon: The Silent Killer
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas. Radon is called the "silent killer" because you can't see it, smell it, feel it, etc. As a result, radon is one of the major causes of lung cancer, causing more than 40,000 deaths each year and making it the second biggest cause of lung cancer deaths. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths. In other words, radon kills!
All Homes Should Be Tested For Radon
Did you know that the Surgeon General recommends that all homes be tested for radon? And according to the CDC, one in 15 homes have elevated radon levels. If you live in a home with high radon levels and smoke, your risk of contracting lung cancer increase by 10 times. The ONLY way to know if your home has high levels of radon is to test. The "good news" is that radon is EASY TO TEST and EASY TO REDUCE.
Radon Tests Are Not Expensive
Radon tests in the Charlotte metro area are quite reasonably priced. If you need a referral to a top-notch inspector who can do a radon test for your home, contact me at Coldwell Banker Realty. Radon tests are relatively inexpensive and in the month of January, some Charlotte region home inspectors will add a radon test for free when doing a whole house inspection. Click here for a link to the EPA's Home Buyer's & Seller's Guide to Radon.
If you're in the process of buying a home, be sure to add a radon test to your list of inspection items when you order your inspections.
Radon Information Sources:
Frequently asked questions about radon
EPA website that tells you everything you might ever want to know about radon
Home Buyer's and Seller's Guide to Radon
Testing your home for radon is as simple as opening a package, placing a radon detector in a designated area, and after the prescribed number of days (2-7 days), sealing the detector back in the package and mailing it to a lab for evaluation. Radon is measured in picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L), a measurement of radioactivity. The U.S. EPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that homes with radon levels at or above 4 pCi/L be repaired to reduce the amount of radon entering the indoor air.
How Radon Gets Into Your Home:
Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the breakdown of naturally occurring uranium in soil and rock. It's invisible, odorless and tasteless, and can be detected only by specialized tests. Radon enters homes through openings that are in contact with the ground, such as cracks in the foundation, small openings around pipes, and sump pits.
This information about radon is provided by Nina Hollander with Coldwell Banker in Charlotte, North Carolina. I've been opening doors for Greater Charlotte area home buyers and sellers since 1999. Let me help you open your door!
If you're considering selling or purchasing a home in the Greater Charlotte metro area, I'd love an opportunity to earn your business, to exceed your expectations, and to show you why experience matters and how:
"The Right Broker Makes All The Difference."
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