*Spend_Save_Live, Buying a Home for the right reasons (Picture on the Left), Power Line, Time to Get away from it all (Picture on the Right)
Radon Testing
How do I test for radon?
Testing for radon is simple and inexpensive. Radon test kits can be purchased through the National Radon Program Services at sosradon.org/test-kits or other certified laboratories and measurement providers or your local hardware stores. There are two types of test kits:
·Short-term: No less than 2 days up to 90 days depending on the test itself ·long-term: No less than 91 days up to 1 year
Testing during the summer months will result a different level than testing during the winter months.
It is recommended to first test your home or building using a short-term test kit, placed in the lowest livable or occupiable space, to determine your potential exposure to radon, under closed building conditions. Once you have determined the structure contains elevated levels of radon, above the action level set by the EPA, which is 4.0pCi/L, it is then recommended to do a second radon test using another short-term test kit or a long-term test kit, which will give your average year-long exposure to radon under normal living conditions. Explanation of terms:
·Closed Building Conditions: Close up all the exterior doors and windows for 12 hours prior to initiating the test device and keeping them closed for the duration of the test. Normal entry and exit are fine. Do not run swamp coolers, attic fans or window fans that bring in fresh outdoor air.
·Normal Living Conditions: Doors and windows do not have to stay closed. Run the furnace, air conditioning or exhaust fans as you normally would. ·Lowest livable or occupiable space: Lowest level of the home, such as a basement or first floor in an occupied space, such as a living room, bedroom, den or play area.
DO NOT test in bathrooms, laundry rooms, closets, kitchens, garages, attics or crawl spaces.
DO NOT test during a severe weather storm containing extreme precipitation or high winds that last more than 24 hours.
If the elevated level returns above the action level set by the EPA, 4.0pCi/L and less than 8.0pCi/L, you may:
·Retest using a long-term test kit (recommended 1 year testing to include all seasons)
·Retest using a short term test during the winter months. If the elevated level returns above 8.0pCi/L, you may: ·Retest using a short-term test kit. The more elevated your initial short-term test result shows, the more certain you can be that you should take a short-term rather than a long-term follow up test. Always retest in the same location as the first test.
Once you have tested and retested and have found elevated levels of radon in your building or home that average higher than 4.0pCi/L, then the next step is to take action by installing a radon reduction system. There is no safe level from radon, so even with levels below 4.0pCi/L, there is still a chance of developing lung cancer.
REMEMBER
STEP 1: TEST. Take a short-term test. STEP 2: RETEST. If your results are at or above 4.0pCi/L, take a short or long-term test in the same location as you tested before. STEP 3: ACTION. If the average of the results is at or above 4.0pCi/L, remediate by following “Do-It-Yourself” instructions or hire a certified radon mitigator.
Short-Term Test Kit *Property Inspection Directory, Airchek
*pCi/L is a picocurie per liter of air, it is a trillionth of a curie and represents 2.2 disintegrations per minute. The curie is a measure for the radioactivity in one gram of radium or measure of the intensity of radioactivity contained in a sample of radioactive material. Radium decays at a rate near 2.2 trillion disintegrations per minute (or counts per minute of decay). Curie was named after the French scientist Madam Curie and her husband Pierre for their research of radioactivity. U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, FUSRAP Fact Sheet: How Big is a Picocurie?
*Information was provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Citizen’s Guide to Radon: The guide to protecting yourself and your family form radon and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
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