Much to my dismay, January produced a disappointing number of radon tests completed by us for the southern portion of New Jersey. Understandably, the economy is shaken and real estate sales are suffering, but January was National Radon Action Month.
January is when radon tests should peak due to government alerts and promotions by the radon industry. January is also an ideal time for radon testing to take place as short-term tests require that windows remain closed.
Radon continues to be the number-one environmental concern for homeowners with up to 20,000 annual lung cancer deaths estimated by the US EPA. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer with cigarette smoking number-one.
I believe that attention has been diverted from radon due to the media's love for mold. Mold is sexy as you can see it and it is often displayed in many pretty colors. Radon is colorless and odorless, nevertheless it kills people.
Unfortunately, occasionally real estate professionals will discourage radon testing by making comments such as "this town does not have a radon problem" or "only houses with basements have radon". The state of New Jersey recommends that all homes be tested for radon upon resale. In my experience only about one-third actually do have a radon test. It is estimated that there are millions of homes in the US with high levels of radon that have not been tested,
The recent lung cancer deaths of Peter Jennings and Dana Reeve have raised radon awareness of non-smokers. On the whole however, the general public has not taken the initiative to get their homes tested for radon. If a test does confirm high levels of radon gas, the best news is that can often be corrected for a modest investment.
Glen Fisher southjerseynpi@aol.com
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