DANGERS IN THE HOME: RADON
I’ve heard some homes have high levels of radon which can be dangerous. What’s the story? Is radon testing part of the usual home inspection?

Well, you’re right. What a crazy world we’re living in, right? It seems hardly a day goes by without finding out about another food that will kill us or any number of other dangers out there. The dangers of radon are real and the government feels it serious enough to have issued a number of warnings about possible high elevations of radon in peoples’ homes.

Radon is a naturally occurring invisible, odorless gas, that is radioactive, (duh…) (i.e., carcinogenic) and formed as uranium in the soil and rocks break down over time. It may seep into the home through the foundation, cracks in the foundation, crawlspace, etc. The American Lung Assoc. and the EPA recommend that people test their homes for radon levels. Radon exposure is attributed as the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Because this is a naturally occurring substance derived from the breakdown of organic matter, topography is usually everything in accounting for which areas have high or low (acceptable) amounts of radon. There are maps of the Portland Metro area that show high-medium-low risks of radon by zip code. By and large, the area of town that more often than not will be at greater risk for high levels of radon are North and Northeast Portland. Up until a year ago, I lived just a couple of blocks north of the Alameda Ridge in NE Portland. In a darkly humorous vein, Alameda is sometimes referred to as “Radon Ridge.” Like all generalities, however, the specifics sometimes do not align, so any given home in Alameda does not necessarily have high radon levels. Quirks abound, and there may well be a perfectly “safe” home sandwiched in between two homes with high levels. Likewise, you can find a high radon level in any home in a supposed area at low risk, say for example, Multnomah Village. You never know, and that’s why it’s suggested for individual homeowners to test their own homes. Since the gas emanates from the ground, it’s generally felt that the basement (or first floor in homes without basements) will be at greatest risk, with the risk lessening the higher up you go; again, that can’t always be guaranteed, though if you test, you generally test lowermost levels of the home. Now, for my confession time: although I lived many years in Alameda, I never had my home tested. It was just “one of those things” where I felt “enough awready, there’s too much on my plate as it is,” and I preferred to be the proverbial ostrich with my head in the sand. (You know, “Denial”, a river in Egypt, blah blah blah…) So be it; that’s me and my story; I’m not recommending you follow my lead.

You can buy a “do it yourself” testing kit for about $25 or so. You can also have a radon mitigating company test a home for you; the price, depending on what kind of testing procedures they use, will vary anywhere from around $75 to several hundred dollars. There are short-term tests and long-term tests, and you will hear different recommendations as to which tests are better and how many tests should be done, and so forth. There is no final, understood consensus as far as I know, and I believe the whole area of radon testing is still somewhat controversial. One of the reasons radon testing is not now typically a normal part of the pre-purchase home inspection. Can it be done, can a prospective buyer make their offer contingent on such testing? Well, yes, that’s possible. I have heard of this done in conjunction with real estate purchases, although at this time very rarely. I do not recommend to my buyers that they perform radon testing as part of the home inspection; like most things, I inform my buyers of their rights and the options that are available to them, the usual practices and liabilities and risks associated with buying and selling homes, but folks must decide these things for themselves.

Why don’t I advise buyers to perform radon testing? Well, primarily for two reasons:

1) The controversial nature of the best ways to test, how to go about testing, the accuracy of the tests, and so on, as touched on above. There are some people who feel the dangers have been blown out of proportion and that this just represents another “excuse” to develop another cottage industry to make more money, as oil tank providers have benefited from leaking oil tanks, and excavators have gotten more jobs out of replacing sewer lines, etc. “They” will tell you - just open a window from time to time, and in wintertime, use a fan to circulate the air, that’s all that’s necessary. Some folks say the very short-term test (48 hours or so) is accurate, while others insist that only a longer test (ninety days or more) is required to get an accurate reading. Others claim you need to do at least two tests simultaneously; others, with an interval of six months or so; still others say you should do it seasonally to look for “trends” in the radon levels. As far as I know, the verdict is not in yet. But more importantly, if you wanted to test a home for radon before you buy it, that means …

2) You must require the cooperation and honesty of the home seller to cooperate with the testing, and the requirements and directions of testing during the testing period, in order to get an accurate reading. Let’s say you agree to use the very short term test, 48 hours. (Much longer testing would generally be prohibitive within the normal 7-10 home inspection period.) Generally, during that 2 day period, you must seal up the house, not open any windows, and be sure the doors stay closed, particularly on the level and in the area where you have placed the testing canister. The canister is not supposed to be moved or disturbed during this time frame as well. Can you count on the home owner to comply with your instructions regarding the testing procedures? No, you can’t. I don’t think so. Even if they’re well-meaning and try their best — which is a big “if” — you just don’t know.

Like anything important in a transaction as valuable and important as a home purchase, you may trust but you need to “verify”. So, for these reasons, at least at this time and with the current state of the art, I don’t feel that testing is practicable for the purposes of pre-purchase inspections. If this is something you feel important about, then, like the removal of lead based paint, best understand it will be something that you’ll take responsibility of doing, under your own supervision after you move into the house, where you can control the setting and the time factors involved.

Let’s say you love your home, have done radon testing, and the levels are through the roof, many times above what is “acceptable” as a safe level to live with. What to do? Your best bet at that point is to hire a reputable radon mitigation company, with a reputation for honest business dealings and experience with radon-venting installation procedures, and have a radon mitigation system installed. Essentially, you are putting in a fancy-schmancy venting and exhaust system that can be auto-regulated. Usual costs (for active mitigation systems) are approximately $2,000- 3,000 or so. Like many things associated with home contractors, these fields are generally unregulated and often peopled by less than totally honest or professional folks, so be careful and do your homework. I have a link to one company on my website with a good reputation, and as I cover my butt J I have to say, of course, I can’t guarantee them and you must do your own due diligence, check with the Better Business Bureau, etc. You can always feel free to get in touch with me for recommendations for reliable and experienced contractors in many fields, and I’ll do my best to provide you with several contacts that you can check out for yourself. My website also has a link to the contractor’s bureau, where you may find out evidence of prior problems, litigation, etc.

Most importantly, be happy and healthy in your home!

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Zach Newman, Portland RealtorZach Newman is an experienced, reliable and trusted Realtor in the Portland area. He is an agent for Re/Max Equity Group and he is a longtime member of PABA - Portland’s GLBT Chamber of Commerce. Call Zach at 503.287.8989 or visit his website at: http://www.equitygroup.com/zach.

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