Radon Testing in Nashville:
I specialize in performing short-term radon testing in conjuction with real estate transactions. There is an additional charge for this service with a regular home inspection. A radon test to be dismissed by a majority of real estate agents. Not anymore. Scientific and medical research have proved that radon gas in the home is can be deadly.
Radon in Tennessee is widespread and a clear and present danger to the health of residents in a majority of homes. Just look at the red zones in the map below. Nashville radon detection is particularly severe. Murfreesboro, Lebanon, Franklin and Dickson Tennessee also have very high levels of radon gas.
These tests are a minimum of 48 hours and do require that “Closed Building Conditions” be maintained in the home for the testing period (and 12 hours prior if only 48 hours of data is to be collected). Normal entry and exit from the home is permissible.
Radon mitigation is easily taken care of by venting the crawl space with perforated PFC piping, UNDER a vapor barrier (I have seen installations on top). Radon mitigation can be done for just a few thousand dollars, and uses very little electricity to run the fan that helps vent the piping. This also serves the dual purpose of venting moisture from the crawl space. Moisture in a crawl space is another enemy of a home. It can lead to dry-rot of the floor structure. Moisture in a crawl space also helps propagate radon gas.
I use the Sun Nuclear model 1027 Professional Radon Monitor. It records data hourly and has tamper-monitoring features.
What is Radon?
Radon is a colorless, odorless gas that comes from decaying uranium. Radon has been linked to lung cancer as it is breathed into lungs. In water, it is not dangerous to drink, but if it is in water and you shower, it becomes airborne and inhaled, so is a risk in that manner. You should have your home tested for radon.
Red is highest levels, yellow is lowest.
Zone 1 counties have a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L (pico curies per liter) (red zones)
Highest Potential
Zone 2 counties have a predicted average indoor radon screening level between 2 and 4 pCi/L (orange zones)
Moderate Potential
Zone 3 counties have a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L (yellow zones)
Low Potential
Exposure to Radon
Radon gas decays into radioactive particles that can get trapped in your lungs when you breathe. As they break down further, these particles release small bursts of energy. This can damage lung tissue and lead to lung cancer over the course of your lifetime. Not everyone exposed to elevated levels of radon will develop lung cancer. And the amount of time between exposure and the onset of the disease may be many years.
Radon Testing
A radon test kit should be placed in the lowest lived-in level of the home (for example, the basement if it is frequently used, otherwise the first floor).
Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, according to EPA estimates. Overall, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year. About 2,900 of these deaths occur among people who have never smoked. On January 13, 2005, Dr. Richard H. Carmona, the U.S. Surgeon General, issued a national health advisory on radon. Visit www.cheec.uiowa.edu/misc/radon.html for more on a study by Dr. William Field on radon-related lung cancer in women.
For more information about Radon gas, visit http://www.epa.gov/radon/index.html
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