Radon - what do I do now?

[Kroggers]

We have just had a radon metering done on the new-to-us house. We had a reader in the bedroom and one in the hallway for three months that we sent back for analysis. Today we received the results in the post. According to the information returned - they state that anything above 400 is bad. We have a reading of 700!!!!

Are there any Pelicans here with experience with this stuff - what do I do now. We just bought this house, and are planning to get married in August. Do not really have the money to move or rebuild the house!?!

[Gene Wilkes]

No big deal! My house has a concrete floor in the basement. They drilled a circular hole in the floor and installed an electric fan set in PVC to draw the air to an outside vent!

[id10t]

radon is heavy, so at a low point in the house you just need to setup some sort of vent like islandmanpa mentioned...

[Kroggers]

Nice to know Islandman. We live in a single level house (not sure what the English name is, we call it a one level villa in Sweden). I do know that the house is built on a solid concrete slab, so there is no space between the ground and the inside floor - something I am now told is a bad thing as the Radon does not have any space to vent out before it enters the house.

The report also recommends we measure the water as well - I did not know that there could be Radon in the water This is not a nice moving in present!!

[Gene Wilkes]

I think the same principal applies. My home (even though it's two story) basically sits on a concrete slab. Once they drill thru the concrete (4 inch hole) they may have dug into the ground a bit, but they installed a 4 inch PVC pipe in the hole and put sealant around it, small fan with switch was installed inline with the pipe and makes an L turn thru the wall to the outside.

[Kroggers]

Starting to make me feel more positive. At least there is a solution not requiring rebuilding the house!!

[Aerkuld]

Is it worth testing again to make sure the detectors were giving you the correct results before starting any construction?

[Gene Wilkes]

The companies that do the Radon testing usually will return to make sure it's safe!

[Moneyguy1]

Check the internet and the govt. THere may be sealants that might reduce the problem.

[fingpilot]

With an avatar like that, I would not have spotted or cared about the Radon.

[M.D. Holloway]

Many think that Radon does cause lung cancer, don;t know how much would though.

I have also read where the Radon issue can be easily solved with a floor coating. Not sure if it has to be a special one or not.

Many feel that the whole Radon thing is nothing but a money grabbing attempt. Always money to be made on health concerns.

[Kroggers]

According to the government here in Sweden, Radon is the biggest cause of lung cancer after smoking in Sweden - That is why I had such a panic!!
But I will contact the local council office, as they have advisors that will come out and assist us in what to do next!

[cstreit]

Google on "Radon abatement" and you will undoubtedly see one million people out there dealing with it. It's really no big deal, just needs to be dealt with... Some house have sump-pumps, you'll just have a "radon pump".

[masraum]

What makes me wonder is why/how this is suddenly a problem. I can't imagine that Radon was spontaneously generated a few years back when it became the rage. I suspect it's existed since furry guys started building huts and farming. I guess the theory is the huts were ventilated. But if the ground has been venting radon for thousands of years why isn't it a global atmospheric problem now?

I guess I just haven't looked into it enough to know.

[Matt Meyer]

First - Don't panic.

How many people have you heard of who get lung cancer and don't smoke or worked in a field that used alot of asbestos?

400 what? 400 Bq/cu. m probably. The Canadian limit is 800 Bq/cu m. Just to make you feel better.

I suspect the link between radon and lung cancer is dubious, but it doesn't matter. You want to limit your exposure to "as low as reasonably achievable" ALARA.

Radon is a gas. So short term, Ventillate. The more air you blow into or out of the house the lower the Radon concentration will be. Just opening a window will reduce Radon quite a bit.

Long term you may want to seal your floor to prevent Radon from getting in and ventillate to get the Radon out.

[jjone20]

We had a radon issue in New Hampshire - lots of granite under the house so it was a prime site for the radon - so we were told. I suspected a scam, but didn't have enough info to back that up. In my case the people measuring the radon level were also the ones who would do the abatement for you. Coincidence? Houses have gotten tighter over the years as energy concerns and construction techniques have improved. A tight house doesn't release the gas. The venting thing usually works. In New Hampshire, the law required a test before the home could be sold, and abatement if necessary.

[jluetjen]

We live just south of the New Hampshire border, and about a quarter-mile from a granite quarry. Apparently granite is either a great sponge for radon, or it tends to trap it. Generally, if there is granite in the area, there will be radon. Unfortunately radon is oderless, and clear and so there is no way to know its there unless it's too late.

Either way our house has a radon extraction system installed. It's not rocket science nor super expensive. Just a sealed pipe through the basement floor with a muffen-type extraction fan mounted outside to maintain a slight vacuum under the basement floor. You can just see the manometer on the pipe with the bright red liquid in it.



Radon has really only become an issue since the advent of very tight, draft free houses. If your windows are always open, or if you have a lot of drafts in the house, it's not a big deal. But if you have a tight, energy efficient house, the radon won't get blown out.

[fingpilot]

California will have a Radon-Free requirement for my boat any day now.

[Kroggers]

Thank you all, I am starting to feel a bit better about this all. I must admit that Sweden is a bit paranoid regarding these things, so it is no surprise they make a big thing about radon etc. One good thing is that the company that did the metering will not do the advising - that is not their business. We will get in a person from the council to do the advising, and he does not get any profit out of what we install.

But based on what you have said so far, I can see that this is not something that will kill us within the next 3 weeks. Some times it is nice to have friends around the world - even if we have never meet face-2-face. Thank you

[red-beard]

In the US, in Radon rich areas, a Radon test before purchase is usually mandatory.