Radon Testing
Air Quality
Is Your Home Making You Sick?
A healthy indoor environment is one that promotes the comfort, health, and well being of the building's occupants. Conversely, a sick building can be distinguished by adverse symptoms associated with time spent in the building. Sometimes our homes can become contaminated with radiation, biological or chemical contaminants that cause adverse health effects.Radon is the heaviest gas in the Periodic Table. It is radioactive and comes out of the soil under our homes and can accumulate in our basements, crawl spaces and it distributes through our living spaces. Radon originates with Uranium in our soil. Uranium is not a stable element and it slowly breaks down into other elements; eventually becoming Lead after approximately 5 million years. Those other elements are also radioactive but they stay in the soil because they are solids (metals). For the 4-15 days that Radon exists, as a gas, it travels through soil and enters our homes through minor gaps and pipes in the foundation.
Many people are unaware that Michigan has traces of Uranium in our soil. Most of our deposits were left here by glaciers that covered this area 100,000 years ago that melted just 10,000 years ago. Those glaciers dragged soil down from Uranium-rich areas in Canada and left those deposits on the land we now live upon. Many of our homes are built atop 200 feet or more of glacial deposits.
As Radon accumulates in our homes, it produces alpha radiation that kills cells, alters DNA and most notably, causes lung cancer. Since you want your home to be safe and healthy for your family, getting a Radon test is always recommended if you have no previous data for your home. Testing is very affordable and very easy to accomplish. Typically, a radon test is conducted over a 2 day period of time to represent your annual exposure in the home. Since test results can be influenced by changes in weather and home use, there are some controls that need to be followed during the test period to ensure the results are meaningful.
- When done separately, a 2-day radon test typically costs $265 and comes with an instant, 4-6 page report.
- When combined with a home inspection or other environmental services, testing runs as low as $145.
Vishey Consulting & Inspection has been identifying safe* and unsafe* Radon levels in Michigan homes for over 18 years. Some areas in S-E Michigan are clearly at higher risk than others but unusual readings and results are scattered all over S-E Michigan. This is why January is Radon Awareness Month in Michigan.
(*safe levels are defined by the EPA as annual levels below 2.0 Pico-Curies of radiation per liter of air. Unsafe levels are defined by the EPA to be over 4.0 pCi/L).
Please note that I do not sell repair services. I independently advise on the best ways to remedy problems and recommend suppliers who are both capable and properly credentialed to do radon mitigation. Occasionally, marginal unfavorable results can be coaxed back into safer levels with minor changes to the home and your inspector can explain what those steps are. Typically, my services more-than pay for themselves by creating lower cost repairs or more effective repairs.
Radon testing is accomplished by a variety of means, all of which measure radiation in some manner. The test method being used should be EPA approved and the person conducting the test should be properly trained and capable of understanding the subtle problems that can be created by improper test placement, use and interpretation.Vishey Consulting & Inspection conducts Radon measurement with a 6-channel, Sun Nuclear "Radon Sentinel" test instrument. This is one of the most effective pieces of test equipment available and in addition to excellent Radon measurement, this device also monitors barometric pressure, temperature, movement and Relative Humidity (because these factors can affect data interpretation). Data is collected on 30-minute intervals for highest precision and highest statistical confidence levels.
Your home/condo should be tested if :
You are purchasing a new home and the seller/builder cannot provide recent test results for that home.
Your newly built home comes with a radon clause in the contract but your builder is not required to do the testing.
If major construction nearby may have disrupted the geology (soil) near, under or around your home.
Past testing produced marginal "Pass" results in Spring, Summer or Fall months (tests are more likely to indicate higher Radon levels in Winter and need to be understood in that context).
If past testing was conducted and no data is available.
You are preparing to sell your house and you don't want any surprises from the Buyer's inspector.
- If you had a water extraction system installed in your basement: Many homes with water collection systems installed in the basement floor and new sump pump wells have the potential for higher radon levels and should be tested - even if the home was tested before. Recent repairs to basement drainage systems can create Radon entry problems where previous levels were acceptable.
Your home/condo should ABSOLUTELY be tested if your home is:
In Troy, Bloomfield Twp/Hills, Ferndale or Rochester Hills, North of 16 Mile and West of Dequindre
In Commerce Twp or Milford
Along Main Street in Royal Oak
In any S-E Michigan hilly region with many small lakes/ponds - these areas were typically created by glacial activity and almost always test higher for Radon than adjoining areas.
...if your home is known to have previously failed a Radon test during a different season of the year.
If you had foundation or floor drainage work done in your basement.
If you added to your home and created a crawl space.
Your home/condo should NOT be tested if :
If it cannot be operated under normal living conditions.
If contractors are keeping doors and windows open and a "normal closed environment" cannot be maintained, then tests should not be conducted.
Note that there is a misconception that homes closed for long periods of time will accumulate high levels of Radon. This is not true since radon breaks down as fast as it forms. Generally, a home reaches a steady-state condition in about 6 hours after it is closed up.
If you would like your home tested for Radon, Call Greg Vishey at (586)665-0659 to arrange for testing.
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Email Greg Vishey at - gregvishey@comcast.net
"Vishey Home Inspection " and "A1-HomeInspection.com (SM)" are business trade names used by the Vishey Home Inspection Company of Lexington, MI. Unauthorized use is subject to prosecution under applicable state and federal laws. Information contained here-in is protected by Copyright 1998-2016 Last Revised 8/28/2016