Radon question

[Machine10033]

Off topic but thought maybe someone here might know.

Bought my house in 2011... old home built in 60’s first owners lived here for 35 years second owner 10 plus...

It’s a very drafty home so I never thought it might be an issue but I decided to get a radon test. They say levels over 4 are harmful. My basement was 67...

So I freaked out... called severa companies to remedy this. They all told me to relax and said they have seen levels in the 600-800 range. All the people still alive.

So I did research and the original owners of the house lived to be 82 and 87... the son is now 55. My question is.... how? The epa chart says with a level of 60 Is equivalent to smoking 6 packs of cigarettes a day.

What do you guys think ? Is radon over blown ? I am getting it fixed but researching it raises my curiosity

 

[Billtx49]

Since radon atoms are so small they can permeate concrete, check for cracks in the basement walls and floor if another radon test or three are still over limit. Cracks allow more to breach the area.
Since possibly lethal radon gas damage to the human body occurs when breathing it, think about a short term bandaid like installing a highly efficient basement exhaust ventilation system and possibly a hardcore sealer if you plan to use the cellar much and keep the house. I wouldn’t keep it …

 

[Serenity]

You make no mention of units here. The EPA mentions the 4 as pCi/L. If your detector measures in this unit then 67 is extremely high.

Most likely your measurement is in Bq/m3. 1 pCi/L is equal to 37 Bq/m3, so a measurement of 67 Bq/m3 is 1.81 pCi/L. The average American home is measured to be at 1.3 pCi/L which is 48 Bq/m3.

Check the units. If it does turn out to be 67 pCi/L then that's very bad and should be dealt with ASAP. If it's 67 Bq/m3 then you don't really have to do anything, maybe a bit better ventilation if it's cheap and easy to do, but it's not a dangerous level.

 

[RickTheToad]

Very common in New England (NY/CT/MA/VT/NH/ME/RI). You can usually have a radon mitigation system installed for around 1500.00 and be done with it. It's a ventilation issue basically.

 

[Machine10033]

Check the units. If it does turn out to be 67 pCi/L then that's very bad and should be dealt with ASAP. If it's 67 Bq/m3 then you don't really have to do anything, maybe a bit better ventilation if it's cheap and easy to do, but it's not a dangerous level.

Nope... it’s 67 pCi/L.... the only thing keeping me somewhat calm right now is the people that lived in this house for nearly 40 years years never developed lung cancer and the radon mitigation experts I’ve contacted told me it’s high but they routinely see readings in my area in the 100’s... and one dude saw 1000... I’m getting it fixed ASAP... and kicking myself for not getting the test done in 2010 when I bought the home

 

[Billtx49]

Well, since the radon problem is area specific, If you do eventually buy another home in the same region, the EPA and USGS have maps available of radon zones for initial area selection before final house testing.

 

[Serenity]

Nope... it’s 67 pCi/L.... the only thing keeping me somewhat calm right now is the people that lived in this house for nearly 40 years years never developed lung cancer

That's bad, especially for the long term. How are the values for the rooms you spend most of your time in?

the radon mitigation experts I’ve contacted told me it’s high but they routinely see readings in my area in the 100’s... and one dude saw 1000

That's nuts!

 

[Kotaix]

looks like the problem can be fixed, but if you're really worried about it then the best thing you can do is move.

 

[Bible_Belt]

Just get a blower, like a 6 inch centrifugal fan, cut a hole to the outside somewhere, and put the blower on a timer so that it exchanges the air every so often. You could do it for a hundred bucks.

 

[RBK]

It's not a big deal if you don't live in that space full time in my opinion. By the time the radon hits the main level its dissapaited to a safe number. I sell houses for a living and 50% of homes get hit with radon over 4 PCL.

Put a system in with a company certified to do it, shouldn't cost more than $1,500-$2,000.

 

[Machine10033]

It's not a big deal if you don't live in that space full time in my opinion. By the time the radon hits the main level its dissapaited to a safe number. I sell houses for a living and 50% of homes get hit with radon over 4 PCL.

Put a system in with a company certified to do it, shouldn't cost more than $1,500-$2,000.

I am getting a system installed next week. Still has me on edge.