Why Should You Test for Radon?

Radon is an odorless, tasteless gas produced by radioactive materials that gets trapped in our homes and can cause major health concerns, like lung cancer. As radon is nearly impossible to detect on your own, it is important to test your home for radon.
There are a number of myths out there about radon testing, so remember: any structure built over ground can collect radon gas! 

While there are several ways to test for radon, Musselman Home Inspection uses CRMs, or continuous radon monitoring systems, to ensure your home is free of radon. CRMs provide hourly readouts of tests for 48 hours to monitor conditions. Here’s how a radon test from MHI works:

• Testing requires a closed home prior to inspection, which means doors and windows should not be opened except for normal usage in the time leading up to testing

• We place a monitor in the lowest livable space of the home, usually the basement

• After the 48 hours needed to complete testing, we download information from the monitor and generate a report that typically gets sent out the same day testing finishes

Radon tests are pass or fail. The Environmental Protection Agency has recommended to “fix your home if your radon level is 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher. Radon is estimated to cause thousands of lung cancer deaths in the U.S. each year.  Radon levels less than 4 pCi/L still pose a risk, and in many cases may be reduced.

There are several methods to reduce/remediate radon in your home. A common approach uses a vent pipe system and fan, which pulls radon from beneath the house and vents it to the outside. Once you install a radon remediation solution, it is important to test for radon again to make sure all parts of the mitigation system are functioning properly, and the system is keeping radon gas at the lowest level possible. Moving forward, even with a radon mitigation system in your home, it is recommended you test your house every two years. Testing is the only way to know for sure the levels of radon in your home.

We spend nearly 75% of our lives indoors. It’s important to make sure you’re breathing in healthy air, and Musselman Home Inspection is here to help. 

To learn more about radon and testing services, we invite you to visit our YouTube channel for our radon testing video or to check out our sister company website!

Click here to learn more about the health risks of radon. https://www.epa.gov/radon/health-risk-radon

Here’s a bonus video we made about radon!